Dianne Devereux Fine Art Biography
 

     Dianne M. Devereux Fine Art Biography  

In the words of the artist

I have had a passion for painting all my life and began to paint steadily in the early 1980’s. I won my first art award in 1982 and am the winner of numerous awards in juried art shows.  Watercolor, my favourite medium, fascinates me, and I also enjoy working in collage, conte and pencil, acrylic and photography.

My art educational biography includes teachers from both the US and Canada: watercolor: Linda Doll, Alessandra Bitelli, Rita Edwards, Brian Atyeo, watercolour and design: Alex Powers, and charcoal portraiture:  Carl Coger.

As A Child

I grew up with art in our home. My mother is a gifted artist that I've watched create pottery and paintings all my life. I saw painting as a very natural thing for people to do as I was growing up.

 

 

I started drawing at a very young age and I did the typical child art projects. When I was ten I won an award for a little wax sculpture. That same year I took my first adult art course during the summer. The concepts were often far above what I could understand but it was an adventure.

My Formative Years

My passion for painting and drawing continued to grow until my marriage in 1965. With my mothers encouragement I started drawing again in 1976 after we moved from Prince George to Sidney. I loved being back on the Island that I had grown up on. Over the years I took art workshops but I am primarily self taught.

My Mediums

I was frustrated with the mediums I was using and switched to watercolours around 1980. Watercolours are still my primary medium and continue to surprise and fascinate me. I love the flow and inter-action and flow of the pigments.

When I want a change I work in collage for texture and fun; and mixed media is often play time for me. I also use acrylics for outdoor work and conte de Paris and graphite for portraits.

The surfaces I like working on are 300 lb. watercolor paper, Lintec 6000, an acid free very smooth surface that is great for collage and unusual paint effects. Most of the outdoor work is done on MDF board using acrylic paints like oil paints although I also sketch and do small watercolours.

Dianne Devereux Art Studio, Sidney BC

In 1991 I opened Dianne Devereux Art Studio in Sidney and ran my studio/gallery for three years in a little strip mall across the street from the water. I loved the location and especially enjoyed teaching adults art classes. I started teaching for the recreation centre, then Silver Threads and finally from my studio.

Early Subjects : Landscapes & Flowers

The artwork has changed over the years. I started painting landscapes and flowers. As time passed I included birds, especially great blue herons in the seascapes that I was painting.

             

In 1991 we sold our house and bought a 35 foot sailboat on which we lived for 8 years. El Shaddai took us to many rugged, beautiful areas of the BC coast that I painted from the cockpit or from the beach. One instance stands out in my mind. My husband Tom dropped me off on the beach to paint while he went fishing. As the tide rose and he wasn’t in sight I started examining the cliff behind me for a way up the cliff. I was very relieved to see Tom chugging into sight.

Most of my painting at the time were seascapes and boats. I painted many areas of Desolation Sound from our boat and dinghy. Desolation Sound was a favourite area to explore because of the amazing beauty and the nice weather. We did sail on the outside of the Island once to Hot Springs Cove but it was so cold and foggy that we never went back.

I wanted to sail to the South Pacific but Tom didn’t so we sold El Shaddai in 1999 and bought a 34 foot class A motor home. We spent two winters in Arizona and California. We loved the desert area. The last year we were south we were blessed to see the desert in bloom. It seems very strange to not be mobile anymore and I still get restless.

The Series "Fairies Live Here"   

  "a world of childhood wonder and natural beauty"

                

Recently we moved to the Comox Valley to be near our daughter and her family. I started painting children in play situations after we moved into a condo. The series in which I want to capture the magic of childhood is called “Fairies Live Here.” I’m also painting the beautiful mountains around the valley, mostly plein air in acrylic. Flowers allow me to play a little more with shape. I’m planning to incorporate collage with some of the Fairy paintings. Most of the original paintings are offered as small giclee art prints and cards.

Current subjects include:

1. Children - Most of the models are my grandchildren although not all. I love the fantasy and exuberance of childhood.

2. Cattle - I started painting a series of cattle in early 2005 and enjoy painting these critters with the   big brown eyes.

3. Flowers - Although we live in a condo and I've only got flowers in pots there are many beautiful gardens that make perfect models. I enjoy the colours.

4. Landscapes - The area is rich with inspiration for both land and seascapes of all kinds.

5. Portraits - I do portraits in graphite, conte de Paris and watercolour. 

Commissions:

Available on request. Please email me and I'll send information on size and medium prices. People request works in various mediums including pencil, conte and watercolor.