Diana Crow learned to oil paint in Japan in 1969. Her teacher’s English was sparse, but the techniques he demonstrated indelibly impressed her artistic brain. She studied with various artists in Nevada and New Mexico, but stopped painting when her family was young. In 2001 her passion for oil painting was rekindled when she took a plein air class with Don Ward in Taos, New Mexico. She relates, “Being in nature feeds my soul and being able to paint plein air is exquisite delight! Now I know it’s never too late to pick up a paintbrush.” In Colorado she studied “The Art of Color Seeing” with Chuck Ceraso and impressionistic plein air oil painting with Eldon Warren
In 2006 Diana moved to The Villages in central Florida. She says, “I appreciate the lush Florida landscape and waterways with graceful palm trees and colorful plants, but instead of watching out for bears or mountain lions, now I stay alert for alligators and ants, and I don’t wear sandals without socks.” Wherever she paints on location she shares her enthusiasm with everyone who stops to observe, “It’s fun to show people how fine art is created and after nine years of face painting little cherubs at the Boulder County Farmers’ Market I’m accustomed to crowds watching me paint.”
Diana enjoys the challenge of client commissions and vows to never stop painting again, “I want my paintings to transport people to their favorite places, or to serene sites and quaint settings that I encounter on my travels.” She comments about the oil paintings pictured above, “My eyes are always searching for inspiration. I drove round and round the Rocky Mountains until the autumn aspens at “Deer Mountain” took my breath away. When I paint it’s like I telescope into the view and as I play with the colorful blobs on the palette intuition guides the process.” Often she returns to a site several mornings in a row to capture the contrast of light as depicted in the scenes from The Villages: “Lighthouse Point” and “Morning Reflections.”
Galleries: This, That, "N" The Other, Ocala FL
Exhibits: "Solo Show", Nyland Co-Housing, Lafayette, CO / “Longmont, ArtWalk”, Longmont CO / “VAA Summer Show at Sumter Annex”, The Villages FL / “VAA La Galleria Summer Show”, The Villages FL / “VAL Summer Art Festival”, The Villages FL / “Arts Around the Square”, The Villages FL / “Kings Gallery Village Show", The Villages FL / “Central Florida Juried Art Show,” Mount Dora Center for the Arts, Mt. Dora FL / ”Mount Dora Cool”, Mount Dora Center for the Arts, Mt. Dora FL
Awards: Honorable Mention, Summer Show at Sumter Annex, The Villages FL /
Associations: Plein Air Florida / Ocala Plein Air Painters / Visual Arts Association of The Villages / The Villages Art League / Mount Dora Center for the Arts / Marion Cultural Alliance
Webpage: www.DianaCrow.com
Contact: info@dianacrow.com
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