I first met Diane Swanson when I was volunteering at a local art center where she was the Gallery Director. I told her I’d be happy to help her install the exhibits, something I always enjoyed doing. She was a little reluctant to take my help and I understood why. If you’re hanging a show with someone you don’t get along with it can make the job twice as difficult instead of twice as easy. But for some reason she did call me to help install a show at a local theater and it was like we had been working together our whole lives. We had the same sensibilities and most of all we worked quickly together. Some people will spend hours moving the art around and trying to make decisions. I don’t have that kind of patience, and apparently neither does Diane.
So when I decided to make a gallery out of the Pig Barn, I immediately thought of Diane and asked if she would help with the organizing and of course, hanging the show. I think we make a good team.
Diane’s lack of patience, when it comes to hanging shows, doesn’t cross over into her work, which is generally labor intensive. Whether it’s her drawings, painting or fusion art, her work has a quality about it of perfection and preciseness without being stiff or uptight. Her talent and love of the process is evident.
Diane was in the first show at the Pig Barn Gallery in June. Her husband is one of those people who take computers apart and put them back together for fun, and they have a basement full of spare computer parts. When Diane saw how beautiful some of them were she was inspired. She combined the computer parts with her paintings and created what she calls “Fusion Art”.
For the Functional Art show in October, she decided to make boxes. She used memory chips, plexi, and copper joints to create the structure and the painting is in gouache. The Memory Box above is the first of her Fall Remembered series.
Diane will also be selling her painted draw pulls at the show in the Pig Barn Gallery. They could easily be framed and hung on the wall, but they are meant to be used. ( I think the nuthatch is my favorite). To see more of Diane’s work and read her blog check out her new website.
The birds are really beautiful.