A sampling of some of the work that will be shown in my solo show at Willows Bistro, 3749 Main St., Warrensburg, NY from March 3 to April 23, 2017. Opening reception Friday, March 3, 7-8:30pm.  All work is for sale.

Finally done, I think...maybe. Tinkered with it for two years. March of the Marsh Marigolds, oil, 20"x16". Due to an early Spring this year, these will soon be making their appearance in the streams around me.

These were fun to do - small 5" x 7" house portraits of three very different buildings, set in very different locations. Love the idea that these house portraits have gone on to live in their houses, all over the country.

This little 4"x4" gouache painting called Three Graces, will be headed to Scottsdale with me and getting donated to the Scottsdale Artists School's Beaux Arts fundraising event for their silent auction. For more info on the school and event - www.scottsdaleartschool.org. 

All four of these paintings of different spots on Lake George sold over the last year. Time to paint some more.

The adventure continues with the job that fell out of the sky for me last June, and it keeps getting more challenging.  After working as a consultant with American Women Artists, managing at first their exhibition schedule and event planning, then taking on membership management at the end of last summer, my role with this national non-profit arts organization increased when I became their executive director this April. 

With planning and managing two national exhibits this year, producing a show catalog, working on future exhibit scheduling, membership management, and a myriad of non-profit operational tasks and responsibilities, I am juggling as fast as I can, learning a lot and planning for the future.  Already a fairly large membership organization (close to 700 members), AWA has great potential as it expands in its role as a non-profit supporting and promoting the work of women representational artists working today from all across the US and Canada.

In just 5 short weeks, I will head out to Cape Cod for a week to work AWA's 17th Annual Member Show & National Juried Competition Exhibition at the Addison Art Gallery in Orleans, MA, on exhibit from August 15-September 15.  I'm excited about reconnecting with AWA members I met at last year's annual show in Texas, meeting many new AWA members, and working with one of my local art connections, as Erin Coe of the Hyde Collection will act as awards juror for AWA's national exhibit.  Very exciting, very busy, very rewarding, and I hope to get a little beach time with my family as well, as they're coming along for the ride.

As a result of posting about my last building portrait, and then after that post was shared on Facebook, I received a delightful commission to paint another beautiful and iconic building in Glens Falls, NY.  
21 Bay was a pleasure to paint, from its small square stained glass windows to its intricately decorated friezes. The unique focus on just the entrance area highlights the features that make this building stand out.

21 Bay stood empty for quite some time before the current owners renovated and restored it, and now contains apartments on its upper floors and several businesses along the street side, another great example of grand old buildings re-purposed rather than wrecked, made useful, vital and glorious once again.

People commission me to create portraits of buildings and houses, either as commemorative gifts for others or as special nostalgic keepsakes for their own collection.   The spaces we live and work become focal points of our memories, benchmarks of time spent and past.  I enjoy creating these pieces for people and I feel honored to be a part of celebrating these buildings, these containers of memories.


Announcing a special deal: I am offering the friends and family rate of $150 on the first seven house/building portraits commissioned between March 1 and June 1, 2014.  For this rate (plus shipping & handling if you're from elsewhere), I will create an 8" x 10" original watercolor & Ink portrait, (single matted and backed to fit an 11" x 14" frame).  It takes about a month to complete one of these, thus the seven painting limit.  I will need a couple of decent photographs of the location you want depicted in the portrait. You may contact me at diane@dianeswansonart.com or use the form on my contact page to inquire about this promotion, find out more, or get me to paint right away. I welcome the opportunity!