Artist’s Statement
“Anything under the sun is beautiful if you have the vision - it is the seeing of the thing that makes it so.”
Diane sketching in front of the Musée d’Orsay, on the banks of the River Seine, Paris, France
Color and light, texture and energy
I find beauty everywhere: In my own backyard garden, in corners of my native New England and in the timeless cities, vistas and villages of Europe. Through my art, I share the joy, the energy and the euphoria these things give me.
My landscapes and oils are inspired by the natural world. It might be a quiet, misty and mysterious morning, an iconic Myopia fox hunt, or a breezy, sun-scorched, summer afternoon with a symphony of buzzing cicadas. Whether I'm in a salt marsh, a hay field, a farm or a forest, I feel a peaceful and solitary connection with nature, and I try to convey that stillness and feeling of isolation from the world onto the canvas, to capture the essence and spirit of a place - to reach even somewhere beyond that space. Dancing light, swirling textures and magnificent colors come alive through my brushes and paints and the final outcome is a kind of alchemy that sometimes surprises even me.
My watercolors capture and convey a more immediate energy. I started focusing on them during recent travels to Europe — England, Scotland, Italy and especially Paris. Whether in my atelier-away-from home in our apartment rentals or en plein air in a garden or along the banks of the Seine, I paint what sparks my imagination. It could be a busy street or cafe scene, a lovely thatched cottage in the Cotswolds, a colorful corner of a city; or something as simple as a pastry or baguette. It’s only natural that my watercolor work has expanded to the world of style — I’ve always loved interior design and fashion, and my watercolors have given me a means to convey that love.
“To look at a thing is very different from seeing a thing. One does not see anything until one sees its beauty. Then, and then only, does it come into existence.”
“If you truly love nature,
you will find beauty everywhere.”