AN ARTIST’S LIFE

Art has been my lifelong companion. It lets me do whatever I want. It never says no. It’s gives me leave to explore any medium or material I fancy- nothing is off limits. My jewelry compositions are made out of stones in an array of colors and shapes, metal forms, surface textures, metallic platings and colored enamels. Inventing flowers to capture the spirit of a bloom rather than make a botanical replica drew me to design fabric flowers combining stamens, stems, leaves and petal shapes to express my vision and then arranging them in colored sculptures.

I was taught never to question why I am attracted to something, to trust my instinct. When I puzzle how to render something, I just put down what I see. When I questioned the value of something I did easily, I give my self permission to enjoy the ease with which I did it.

I pursue whatever discipline stretches my imagination. I love color but use it judiciously. Sometimes I restrict my palette to five basic colors to find as much variation as I can within that limitation. In the dark room the smallest adjustment to the enlarger setting can completely alter the image. The print studio is a place to investigate how a plate with ink on it put in a press can transform an image. Sculpture reinforces my awareness of negative space. Restricting myself to black and white demands I explore the limitless shades of grey. Central to all of this is accident and to appreciate those unpredictable happenings and take full advantage of them.

I am a perennial student and experimenter. I’m always exploring new techniques to give myself greater expressive range: Ikebana to expand the possibilities in flower arranging; sumi ink painting to make my brush stroke more expressive; art history to study the amazing ways art has been expressed throughout time. I’ve applied oil paint to canvas with a palette knife to force me to look at my subject in terms of planes. Painted on wood panels to add the pattern of the wood grain to the composition. Assembled collages using my photographs and other works on paper to explore new ways to discover relationships in seemingly disparate things.

We live in a fragmented world. Images flicker before us with relentless speed. Recently looking
at my own photographs, watercolors, prints and drawings I am finding new relationships and in
jigsaw fashion I am taking elements from these familiar works and rearranging them to create
entirely new art works. These expressions have resulted in unexpected harmonies.

This artist’s life is the solving of puzzles: drawing upon techniques and materials to produce a uniquely personal expression. I trust my intuition to do this and never cease to be amazed at the results that have enriched my life....Diane Love