Featured Artist for 2011

Di Taylor

"Painting is an ongoing conversation between the surface of the canvas and the paint using texture, colour and movement to create expressions and images."

As a child I was surrounded by creative people who played an enormous part in my inspiration, filling my life with colour and vision.

My first success was in Year Five when I was given an award for a painting entitled 'Fishermen on a Cray Boat in a Storm." I still remember with great pride the teacher holding up the painting in front of the class, and describing in detail the elements which she believed made my painting so special.

I grew up in Sydney, where after gaining my HSC, I studied a Diploma of Fine Art in 1975. It was there I developed the technical skills which I still use in every aspect of my work. It was at the Alexander Mackie College of Advanced Education (The National Art School) where I developed my skills in sculpture and fine tuned my painting skills.

Painting has been my companion for the last 30 years, exhibiting in New South Wales, Tasmania and now Perth, Western Australia. I first arrived in Perth twenty years ago and joined the Claremont School of Art for six months before embarking on my own personal artistic journey. This journey led to exhibitions in Yallingup Gallery and the Terrace Gallery in Mandurah and Esperance Gallery in the South West of WA, Glebe in NSW, Gomboc Gallery in 1991 and many more. In the past three years, my exhibitions have been held at Tristan's Gallery in Perth, and have all been sold out on the first night. My art has won numerous awards and hang in private, corporate and government collections, including the Perth Convention Exhibition Centre..

Other notable achievements include being invited to be artist in residence at St Hilda's School for Girls in 2005 and being featured in Homes and Living magazine in the Spring Edition of 2006.

My inspiration comes from my surroundings, and the colour and life in the Perth riverfront and coastline including Crawley on the Swan River and the coastline at Margaret River. People also feature strongly in my paintings, giving character and life to my art. I would say that my driving goal is to use everyday scenes in an unusual way, endeavouring to create a figurative language that describes emotions in colour.

My most recent series is a collection simply entitled 'Angels'. Inspired by my personal experiences, when angels helped me, this series depicts the struggle between good and evil, and is an ongoing series, ever evolving and developing.

I feel that art is a snapshot of the time frame and emotional mindset in which it was created. Painting enhances my enjoyment of life and I hope that all who view my art share some of the pleasure that I receive putting my emotions onto the canvas.

Dianne Taylor