Paintings By Diane

I'm an east coast girl, born and raised.  I was lucky enough to grow-up surrounded by the breathtaking scenery of four distinct seasons.  The seasonal changes were spectacularly displayed in the vivid colors that blanketed the lush green and snowy woodsy areas, the warm summer water and iced winter lakes, and the sometimes stormy, but mostly calming, ocean shores, which ultimately inspired me to paint the east coast landscapes. 

After college, my journeys led me to very different terrains.  I lived in Oklahoma, Texas, Southern California, and explored countries all throughout Europe.  My life path has allowed me see a cornucopia of landscapes.  Each location ignited an emotional experience, which I felt compelled to translate onto a canvas.  My expression of choice is a paint brush and a vivid spectrum of oil paints, but I also have dabbled with water colors and charcoal sketches.   

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As I expanded my work beyond landscapes, I discovered my passion for portrait work.  After several portrait sketches I finally found my "portrait muse."  This piece came to me unbidden, and is still one of my favorite pieces.  The canvas became alive with each stroke.  Upon completion I knew this flowed from true expression of self, and felt it represented my artistic passions. After this painting, I began down a new path, one of commissioned portraits.  The complexity of portraits not only intrigue me, but inspire my work.  With each portrait I am consumed with curiosity, curiosity of the person's thoughts, mood, and life experiences, and how I could convey the person's personality, spirit and energy onto the canvas through brush strokes, shadowing and oil paint colors. 

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I am inspired by people's lives, aesthetics of nature, and the humanity I witness on a daily basis.  Art, specifically oil painting, is my best expression of myself and the world I have explored and experience, and continue to explore and experience each and every day.  

Associations and Education

East Coast College: Design and Fashion Degree.

Member of Westlake Village Art Guild  

Member of Allied Artist of Santa Monica Mountains and Seashore

Juried Shows: Thousand Oaks Art Gallery , Santa Paula Art Museum

Studied under: David Gallup, George Paliotto, Annie Hoffman, Jordan Poe, Morgan Kari, Lou Jeoffries, Barbara Shannon, and Chris Cook. In addition to numerous art workshops.

Commissioned Landscapes, Portraits, and Still Life paintings.