I enjoy painting in two different ways, one of which is landscape painting with acrylics and the other is composing paintings with mixed media.

My landscapes are inspired by places I have visited. Often there is an architectural element in my painting such as an adobe home in sunny Santa Fe, New Mexico or a clapboard home in windswept Neil’s Harbour, Cape Breton.
After much preliminary sketching and value planning, a sketch of the subject is thinly painted on canvas. The actual application of paint goes more quickly, working from large colour shapes leading to progressively more detailed shapes. My intention is for the finished painting to convey the warmth of emotion I felt on discovering a scene and the total engagement I felt as I as I painted it.

My mixed media paintings are intended to excite myself and the beholder with the surprising and novel arrangement of shapes, textures, colours and patterns that arise from my layering process.The media I use may include hand-painted papers, acrylic paint, glazes, graphite, inks, fabric paint, commercial papers or personally hand-carved stamps. Each layer of media I put down sparks more ideas for the next layer. It is an experimental process. This process builds strata of discovery for the viewer so that something new may be found with every look.

You can see more of my work Instagram @diannestewartartist

Dianne earned the signature status of “Associate of the Federation of Canadian Artists”or AFCA in 2008. As a member of the Calgary Chapter of the Federation of Canadian Artists, Dianne has won several awards for her work in juried shows. Dianne enjoys the richness of nature, winter and summer, by cross-country skiing and hiking. Travel provides a wealth of memories and reference materials for her art.