"Life’s journey finds me surrounded by crystal clear sea foam green water, pthalo blue skies, crimson Indian paintbrush flowers, and still de grain brown tamarack. I live and work in the mountains in Montana high above the small town of Ovando.
How did I get here? My story is blessed with twists and turns and as I believe in fate, this is exactly where I am supposed to be.
Born second of eight children in Spokane Washington, I was of the generation that when you finished breakfast in the morning you left the house and were not expected back until dinner time. By foot or by bicycle no one worried about where you were or what you were doing. My brothers and I never left the house without our towels and our swimsuits so we were ready for the local public swimming pool to open, as this was where we spent most of our days in the summer time.Years later I learned that my husband to be happened to be at the same swimming pool most days as well.
My teenage years surprised me with a desire to paint with oils. A relative happened to give me a set of oil paints and some Walter Foster “how to paint” books in grade school. Following the instructions I found that I became an individual in the process instead of just one of eight kids, fighting for their own identity. I continued to paint anything I could think of until I got married and had my daughter. Working in the pharmaceutical field and then in Real Estate, 26 years later I found myself no longer “found”. My individuality and my soul seemed to be scanning the horizon for something meaningful. Still raising four kids at the time, I bought some paint, 100 blank canvas and told myself that if #100 was not significantly better than #1 canvas than I had to find something else todo besides paint.
They all sold, and at the time eBay was the best online site to sell. While listing paintings on eBay, I could continue to paint and teach myself better skills. A workshop with Carolyn Anderson, Reid Galey and Jove Wang really opened my eyes to impressionistic style of painting and my work seemed to evolve with each painting.
Moving from Spokane to Park City, Utah became the shift that changed the way my work became available to the public – From online sources to Gallery presence.
My dream had been to be juried into the Western Masters show in Great Falls, Montana and acceptance into prestigious juried shows throughout the United States. This has all come into fruition and I continue to dangle my own carrot in front of my nose and challenge myself daily.
Today I am a full time resident of Montana, walking a short path to my studio on the water, and when I sit at my easel my heart bubbles up with joy and gratitude for I have been blessed with the ability to determine my every moment of my every day. I think I can contribute my determination and my drive and the fact that I realized early on in life that I was always at choice. I was not a victim and only I could be in charge of my daily life. I never could succumb to the tyranny of immediacy, having a boss who was himself having a bad day or hated his life, which did then affect mine when all was said and done.
I have fought to find my own words in my images and my work. Painting is like your signature and your fingerprint. Others can try and copy, and believe me they do, but they cannot be the same being that you are when you paint. Your “stuff”, your “story”, your own personal history will come out. You can try to emulate another artist, but when you boil everything down to just you, the paint and a blank canvas, that’s when the truth comes out.
My major in college was veterinary medicine and business, of which both were essential to my love of animals and the skill you need to run your own business as an artist. I love the eyes of the animals. I often encounter bear, coyote, wolf, fox and mountain lion in this area- I have a critter cam and my camera handy at all times. but most bears I have encountered are not aggressive or worrisome.
I am currently represented by galleries in Jackson Hole, Park City, St George, Sundance Resort, Dallas Texas, Crested Butte Colorado, Big Timber Montana and PawsUp! Resort in Montana- I often paint live for groups at PawsUp and am preparing for the Western Masters show in March. "
Diane Whitehead
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