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Diane Lea Kemp
USA
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“I believe that art exists for art’s sake. It is what sets us apart as humans.”
I’m currently 64 years old and have been an artist for as long as I can remember. I began to use oil paints at seven, but soon used them for my own creations. I sold my first oil painting when I was eight years old for five dollars, which I thought was a fortune.
Macaw | Oil
$500
10 X 8
I decided to do a painting of a macaw in order to better understand them and hopefully be friends with one in particular.
Davenport, Iowa was where I was born and raised. While I was involved in art, I was also fascinated by animals, so they were often the subject of my artwork. When I was sixteen my pencil drawing of a fox was included in a show put on by the local school district.
Amur Leopard I | Oil
$3,500
16 X 20
This leopard is a resident of a zoo in the Midwest. She was so beautiful that I wanted to immortalize her on canvas.
I graduated with honors from high school in 1976, having taken all art classes available. I was offered a scholarship to St. Ambrose University, which I accepted, and subsequently enrolled in the art program. The program was based at the time on classical art training and included a highly in-depth study of art history.
“For me, art is a necessary part of the human experience, and is meant to evoke emotion.”
After the passing of my father, which occurred when I was 19, I left college for a time. It would be ten years before I went back, but in the meantime, I started a family and sold artwork on a commission basis. In 1987 I returned to St. Ambrose to complete my degree, majoring in art and history.
Cheetah | Oil
$2,500
24 X 18
Besides being the world's fastest land animal, cheetahs are the embodiment of grace even when still.
While living in Colorado I had the privilege of seeing this elegant raptor hunting near our home. She seemed the perfect subject for a painting.
Golden Eagle | Oil
$2,000
24 X 18
In 1989 I graduated magna cum laude from St. Ambrose. It was difficult for me to find work as a graphic artist since I am a traditionalist and work primarily in pencil and oil rather than on a computer. Ironically, I found employment as a teacher, instructing adult students in the use of business software. At the same time, I continued to produce artwork on a commission basis, dreaming of the day when my work would be accepted by a gallery.
“In my senior year I received a scholarship to study in Germany with wildlife artist Manfred Schatz. It was one of the great highlights of my career as an artist, as Professor Schatz was both a brilliant artist and a very kind man.”
“When I was eleven, my mother enrolled me in classes at the Davenport Museum of Art, and after this I attended every art class available both in school and privately.”
In 2001 my family and I moved to Colorado, where I began to produce wildlife art in earnest. I also began to experiment with landscaping painting, since Colorado is filled with exquisite scenery. A few years later, after a severe trauma, I gave up artwork for a time. When I began again, it was on an experimental basis, producing abstract work involving pure emotion rather than realistic subject matter. To earn income, I drew or painted animals on commission while doing abstract and three-dimensional work on the side.
Sun Lion | Oil
$1,500
24 X 20
This was one of my first attempts at combining wildlife with the abstract.
I enjoy producing all my artwork, but there have been several pieces of abstract work which have been especially satisfying. One of my pottery pieces was featured in Quercus, a scholarly journal published by St. Ambrose University. At approximately the same time, another of my abstract pieces was featured at a show at an art school in Telluride, Colorado.
Elephant | Oil
$500
10 X 8
It was always a wish of mine to do a painting of an elephant, but I found them intimidating until the day I actually began the painting.
More recently, one of my favorite paintings won a finalist standing at ART SHOW INTERNATIONAL GALLERY. It has been thrilling for me to have these pieces draw attention from the art world. It has also been satisfying to be part of a gallery after more than fifty years as an artist.
This one of the first dogs I illustrated, and happened to belong to a friend. It’s very satisfying to render a dog, as they are our faithful companions.
Dougal | Pastel
$100
10 X 8
“My purpose as an artist is to illustrate the beauty and peace of the natural world.”
Wolf at Sunset | Oil
$500
10 X 8
Wolves are some of my favorite animals since their orientation is that of family.
The beauty of a subject is worthwhile, that is why I continue to produce wildlife art, yet when an abstract piece evokes emotion in the viewer, then that is its true value. I’ve realized that a piece has its own intrinsic value when it stands alone as an extension of the artist in silent communication with the viewer.
This is another combination of wildlife and the abstract.
Grizzly Bear | Oil
$500
10 X 8
Being an artist, for me, has been a road fraught with bends and sometimes potholes. I am a traditionally trained artist living in a world of the abstract, and my hope is to have my art continue to evolve, as well as to be appreciated.
Grief | Oil
$500
10 X 8
This is a singular piece for me in that it is meant to illustrate the pure emotion of grief. I painted it after the loss of a loved one and wanted it to show the isolation of that emotion. It’s one of the few pieces that is purely abstract.
“She has specialized in big cats, yet recently has begun exploring other areas of the natural world as well as more abstract pieces dealing with human emotion”
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