Statement

My painting is defined by an intensity of color, smoothly shaped contours, and organic shapes that bend, twist, and rotate in space. This body of work arose from a desire to use geometry in its simplest possible form. Paring down shapes, I found that curvilinear forms emerged. Circles function as celestial bodies, dark holes, mechanical fragments, and faces. They are invented characters in my painting narrative and reveal intimate stories of their creation.

In the past five years, I’ve developed a somatic vocabulary of biomorphic forms that are evocative of the female body. Serpentine shapes suggest the female form and an organic sensuality. The shapes become increasingly visceral as internal organs and joints such as the heart and pelvis are referenced. Color is at the heart of my painting, and I favor a sensuous, optically rich, matte surface as well as the vibrating hues of
sixties art and design. Using soft, wide brushes that encourage a lush surface, my work is animated by surprise: the jostling of forms in space, unpredictable color, and a sense of whimsy. My work asks the viewer to drop preconceptions of what painting has been and explore the possibilities inherent in a sense of play. I want the viewer to experience my paintings as reflecting the fullness of life, inviting contemplation
and joy.

Diane’s work has been widely shown throughout New England including the Art Complex Museum in Duxbury, Galatea Fine Arts, Danforth Museum of Art, Tufts University Aidekman Gallery, Kingston Gallery, and the Boston Convention Center. She has been included in group exhibits at The Painting Center, NY, and Mark Borghi Fine Arts, Sag Harbor, NY. She is represented by the Kingston Gallery, Boston. Her work has been published in Artscope, Art New England, the Boston Globe and Boston Voyager. Diane is a founding member of the Brickbottom Artists Community, Somerville, MA, where she lives.