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“Most important to me is to be able to convey emotion in a painting,”
says watercolorist Diane Phalen.
I want my viewers to be able to feel the summer day,
the wind, or any other aspect of a painting. I want
the scent of the flowers to be present, the mood of
an autumn sky or winter sunset, a moment of peace and
contentment connecting nature with our heritage and
values. I want the eye to move through each painting
and discover delightful, hidden elements like a butterfly
on a bush or a cat resting among garden blossoms.” |
Diane’s magnificent
paintings have been featured in numerous juried, solo
and group exhibitions, and she is represented in galleries
throughout the United Sates. Her museum quality watercolors
are in corporate, historical, and private collections
in the United States, Canada, England, Germany, Japan,
and Australia.
“With my current Americana Quilt series I began
combining the elements of man and nature,” says
Diane. “The environment is very important to me,
so in this series I have tried to capture nature and
the presence of man coexisting harmoniously in a beautiful
setting. It’s funny, because I have always been
a bit of a hermit, more at home in the woods than in
a bustling city. Surprisingly, the Americana Quilt series
has connected me more with people. It has been a joy
to meet my collectors and hear their comments concerning
my art. It is with a large dose of humility that I know
my paintings are greatly enjoyed and eagerly awaited
at shows.”
Due to the immense amount of detail in Diane’s
work, a painting can take up to two months to complete
and often longer, depending upon her travel schedule.
“I love to experiment with the medium. A favorite
technique of mine is to use a palette knife to highlight
hidden layers of color. I have also used salt, a nail
file, fluorescent gouache, sand paper, and watercolor
pencils to achieve various effects.”
Diane packed up her studio nestled on seventeen
acres of wilderness in Oregon and moved, temporarily, to a smaller plot with a creek and about six acres in the Lehigh Valley near Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. A highly desireable property until a flood nearly ruined everything, but luckily harmed nothing. Happily, she
is now very near her family in Amish country and has successfully relocated home and studio. She has recently reduced her appearances to devote additional time to her art. She is designing a new series of posters depicting
lush, intimate garden scenes. Her prints, posters, note
cards and gift items are distributed worldwide. Her original watercolors have grown steadily in worth and are prized by collectors. |
