Biography
I learned how to draw at Parson's School of Design, where I earned a BFA in illustration in the early 1990's. I
also have a BA in social psychology from Eugene Lang College/New School for Social Research. Since then I
have lived in many different cities doing many different jobs. I became passionate about painting in 2008,
almost 20 years later. You never know where life is going to take you, you just have to go with it as it comes.
At the moment I live in Denver where my paintings are on display at Art Images/Willoughby Galleries located
at 1021 S. Gaylord St.
I have taken painting workshops with Daniel Greene, Frank Covino, Joshua Fallik and David Kassan and
attended great lectures at a Weekend With The Masters convention. For a few years I was fortunate to live
near the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City where I studied paintings of old masters like Titian,
Bronzino, Caravaggio, Rubens and Rembrandt. The museum also has an extensive research library where I
was able to do a lot of reading about the Italian Renaissance. I spent countless hours in museums all over the
country whenever I could. The painters who have influenced me the most are Leonardo DaVinci, Caravaggio,
Rembrandt, Bouguereau and Jacques Louis David.
Serious health issues have slowed me down considerably in the past 5 or 6 years. Nulla Dies Sine Linea, which
means, no day without a line drawn, was said by Apelles, favorite painter of Alexander the Great. That used to
be my personal motto. Once I got sick, I was lucky if I could draw sitting down with a sketchbook on my lap.
I could no longer hold my arm up long enough to paint.
I have debilitating small fiber neuropathy and seizures. My sensory nerves are shorting out, like bad electrical
wiring. The burning, tingling, electric shocks, numbness, brain fog and subsequent fatigue have disrupted my
life. I had an active lifestyle before I became ill. I was forced to stop painting, figure drawing, martial arts,
going to outdoor festivals and even stop working.
Things are looking up but I still spend a lot of my time lying down, remaining very still. I am back in my
studio and my head is clear enough to think about the painting on my easel when I am not standing toe to toe
with it. I have new ideas I want to try, new techniques I want to understand, other artists I want to study with
and more history of the old masters to learn. It is frustrating to have so many ideas to explore and a limited
amount of time to paint.
Another favorite quote of mine was written by Miyamoto Musashi:
"Steadfastness of purpose is, above all, the essential requirement to understanding yourself in relation to the
universe." (Book of Five Rings, Stephen Kaufman's translation.)
Painting can become a beautiful obsession if you let it. I look forward to every new challenge and I try to
learn from all of my mistakes and my successes.
I learned how to draw at Parson's School of Design, where I earned a BFA in illustration in the early 1990's. I
also have a BA in social psychology from Eugene Lang College/New School for Social Research. Since then I
have lived in many different cities doing many different jobs. I became passionate about painting in 2008,
almost 20 years later. You never know where life is going to take you, you just have to go with it as it comes.
At the moment I live in Denver where my paintings are on display at Art Images/Willoughby Galleries located
at 1021 S. Gaylord St.
I have taken painting workshops with Daniel Greene, Frank Covino, Joshua Fallik and David Kassan and
attended great lectures at a Weekend With The Masters convention. For a few years I was fortunate to live
near the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City where I studied paintings of old masters like Titian,
Bronzino, Caravaggio, Rubens and Rembrandt. The museum also has an extensive research library where I
was able to do a lot of reading about the Italian Renaissance. I spent countless hours in museums all over the
country whenever I could. The painters who have influenced me the most are Leonardo DaVinci, Caravaggio,
Rembrandt, Bouguereau and Jacques Louis David.
Serious health issues have slowed me down considerably in the past 5 or 6 years. Nulla Dies Sine Linea, which
means, no day without a line drawn, was said by Apelles, favorite painter of Alexander the Great. That used to
be my personal motto. Once I got sick, I was lucky if I could draw sitting down with a sketchbook on my lap.
I could no longer hold my arm up long enough to paint.
I have debilitating small fiber neuropathy and seizures. My sensory nerves are shorting out, like bad electrical
wiring. The burning, tingling, electric shocks, numbness, brain fog and subsequent fatigue have disrupted my
life. I had an active lifestyle before I became ill. I was forced to stop painting, figure drawing, martial arts,
going to outdoor festivals and even stop working.
Things are looking up but I still spend a lot of my time lying down, remaining very still. I am back in my
studio and my head is clear enough to think about the painting on my easel when I am not standing toe to toe
with it. I have new ideas I want to try, new techniques I want to understand, other artists I want to study with
and more history of the old masters to learn. It is frustrating to have so many ideas to explore and a limited
amount of time to paint.
Another favorite quote of mine was written by Miyamoto Musashi:
"Steadfastness of purpose is, above all, the essential requirement to understanding yourself in relation to the
universe." (Book of Five Rings, Stephen Kaufman's translation.)
Painting can become a beautiful obsession if you let it. I look forward to every new challenge and I try to
learn from all of my mistakes and my successes.
 | |  |
Diane Burchett
Diane.Burchett@aol.com 720-318-6959
| See my paintings in person: Art Images Galleries 1023 South Gaylord, Denver |