Diane Firtell

Diane Firtell Artist’s Statement

“Art has been part of my life as long as I can remember. My earliest memories are of coloring….(and winning a Clara Barton doll at a Saturday movie matinee coloring contest).

Then came drawing and painting.

As an adult I enrolled in art school for the pure pleasure of exploring every medium available. I bought my first 35-mm camera and fell in love with photography.

A few years ago I started combining painting and photography. I’m not exactly sure why, except it pleased me to combine them and also better reflected the way I see things. Then I began playing with pique assiette where I am able to “paint” with broken plates and shards. I particularly like decorating old window frames or furniture and turning them into one-of-a-kind jewels.

I also enjoy transferring my small (4X6), beautiful photographs of flowers into large scale oil paintings, some with custom painted frames.

In my previous life (in NYC) my first entrepreneurial adventure was painting oversize t-shirts and tuxedo shirts. For many years I designed and produced jewelry. My claim to fame was having my jewelry appear on the big screen (in the movies Cocktail and Earth Girls are Easy) and purchased by celebrities. I was fortunate to have my designs chosen both by Sheeptacular and Art of the Game, two juried outdoor Pittsfield art exhibits.

My work is not intellectual. I simply love color, texture and shape. That is what I respond to and that is, in large part, my voice.

I particularly enjoy the challenge of turning your treasure, whether it’s a view, a house, a car, a motorcycle……into a personal and unique piece of art.”