Diane with Mayor's Choice Award winner "Abigail"
2016
About the Artist
Diane's love of
flowers and gardening are reflected in her highly detailed,
representational watercolour and oil paintings. An avid traveler and photographer, Diane takes many of
her own photos for use as subject matter in her work.
Diane was born in British Columbia, Canada, and
completed her Fine Arts Diploma from Malaspina College on Vancouver
Island. Originally an oil painter, she expanded her expertise into
watercolour after she moved to Toronto in the mid 1980's. People and
animals were her favorite subjects. Her work as a florist and her
love of gardening encouraged her to begin painting florals and
nature.
In 2007, Diane decided to paint in oils again.
Studies of dramatic shadows and lighting are her key focus. Many of
her award winning oils are on this website for you to enjoy.
Diane has been commissioned over the years to
paint portraits, animals, landscapes, houses, florals and book
illustrations. Her prints and originals hang in such places as
Rideau Hall in Ottawa, Hospices around Canada as well as
numerous private collections in the United States, England, The
Netherlands and Canada. Over 200,000 copies of books with her
illustrations have been distributed across Canada.
Diane currently lives with her husband
in Whitby, Ontario.
Artist's Statement:
My art reflects my love of the natural world all around us and the
unique way that I see it. The colours, light, and textures of nature
generally and gardening, in particular, catch my eye and I find
myself compelled to put what I see onto canvas. I find that flowers
almost always capture my attention and I want to share with people
their colours, shading and vibrancy. I want to capture this vital
nature of flowers to show people - sometimes to help them see
qualities and moments they might have missed, and sometimes to
highlight what we might see and enjoy together.
When I paint, I am acutely aware of the play of natural light in
Nature and flowers in particular. I am aware that the light is an
ever- changing quality and elusive to the artist's brush, but I like
the feeling of tension between the instant and changing quality of
light with the more permanent quality of a painting. I try to
capture the beauty of this as a moment in time and try to bring it
to the attention of those who may not have noticed it in their busy
lives. In this way,
perhaps, my paintings give viewers back that moment.
Diane
.