ARTIST STATEMENT

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"My prerequisite for my water media paintings is a personal involvement in the subject matter.  Floral and botanical painting was a love of mine for many years.  About 2005, I felt it was time to explore abstraction. A design and collage workshop with famous artist, Gerald Brommer using paper collage opened the door.  I used hand painted papers and old painting fragments to create collaged art.

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To make the geometric styled acrylic canvas paintings, I use an entirely different approach that I personally developed.  It involves working from old drawings from which I make enlarged and reduced copies; cut and rearrange the shapes; trace and reconstruct the next painting.  Randomly cut shapes from construction paper may also be used.  My goal is to create movement or directional flow by weaving colors and shapes.  I favor bright and bold paint combinations  to obtain a eye catching reactions from viewers.

These methods developed from the 2005 Waterworks Artists exhibit at the Chandler Center for the Arts. The theme was 'Abstraction to Realism, Realism to Abstraction,' which has continued to inspire and evolve since that time. The challenge is to create related but different paintings. The successful work will bring me a knowing and pleased reaction.

My paintings may draw long observation from the onlooker and 'How does she do it?' reactions from other artists and art lovers.

I have shown and sold art work in Sedona and Chandler galleries. A solo exhibit was featured at the West Valley art Museum. Since then, I have exhibited in many venues with the Waterworks Artists. These shows include McCullough-Price House, Chandler, Arizona, Chandler Center for the Arts, Phoenix Shemer Art Center, Mill Atelier Gallery in Santa Fe, N.M. and the Vision Gallery in Chandler, AZ.  I have also exhibited in many juried national watercolor exhibits and Arizona Watercolor Association juried competitions.  Some of my  paintings will be exhibited  in the Waterworks Artists show at the Herberger Theater Center Art Gallery in downtown Phoenix in November 2021.

I also am a Signature Member of Watercolor West, National Watercolor Society, Western Federation of Watercolor Societies and the Arizona Watercolor Association.  My works have been published in the San Tan News, The League for Innovation as a "National Finalist" in Community Colleges and book, The Best of Arizona Watercolor Association."

                                                                                                                                                            ~ Diane Kent