Artist Statement: I am drawn to geometric elements and linear designs in both the urban and the natural worlds, finding particular beauty in the interweaving of layers and patterns - and to stones and anything made of stone! Usually my art begins with an image in my mind, based on one of my photographs, and the sensations ignited by it. Then, as I paint and make marks, each piece takes on its own rhythm, its own essence, guiding me along. Other times, I simply start playing with texture, line, and color, and a scene emerges, a dance begins, a light shines.

While living in New York City, I found myself enchanted by what lay underfoot, the patterns there, the untold stories. From my photographs and the detritus lying on each spot, I created the mixed media pieces in the Sidewalk Series. There are bits of beauty, visual interest, and mystery in the most humble, ordinary places.

My most recent artworks are acrylic paintings, Abstract Landscapes, inspired by the glacially carved shoreline of Lake Champlain, Vermont, and the magical interplay of light, wind, stones and water there. In the end, I hope to evoke imagination, wonder, and a sense of infinite possibility- the same sparks that fuel me when I am painting.

 

Overview: Over the past five decades, Rena Diana has taken art courses in a variety of media. Throughout her adult life, she has kept notebooks chronicling her observations and experiences. Gradually these became art journals, filled with sketches, along with personal narrative and remarks about the creative process. As these notebooks evolved into more formal exercises, she realized that they were distinct art forms in themselves. At that point, she began creating larger, single pieces.

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Exhibits: Ashawagh Hall - East Hampton, NY,  May 2016 • Ceres Gallery - NYC, Chelsea, December 2016, December 2017 • 92Y - Juried Show  -NYC, June 2017 • National Association of Women Artists - Juried Show, NYC, July 2017 • National Association of Women Artists - Members Show, NYC, August 2017 • Phyllis Harriman Gallery - NYC, January 2018
NAWA-Juried On-Line Show, June-August 2018 • Upstream Gallery - Juried Show - Hastings-on-Hudson, NY, June-July 2018 • Carter Burden Gallery – NYC, Chelsea, July 2018
Creative Space Gallery, Vergennes, VT, August 2018 • Kelso Gallery and Studio - Florence, AL, August 2018 • NAWA - Members Show - Chrystie Street, South Gallery, NYC, October 2018 • Creative Space Gallery, Vergennes, VT, March 2019 • Carter Burden Gallery - NYC, Chelsea, July 2019 • Ashawagh Hall - East Hampton, NY, July 2019 • Carter Burden Gallery - NYC, Chelsea, February-March 2020 • Y:Art Gallery-Baltimore, MD, Featured Artist in the Gallery Gift Shop, April-May 2020 • ArtJam, Juried Show, Princeton, NJ, October 2020

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Membership: National Association of Women Artists

 

Private Collections: New York City • East Hampton, NY • Washington DC • Baltimore, MD Birmingham, AL • Huntsville, AL • Atlanta, GA • Greensboro, NC • Manhattan Beach, CA
Princeton, NJ • Chestertown, MD • Vergennes, VT • London, UK




 

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