Diana Dean Art Exhibition

Diana Dean Exhibition: “The Mysterious in the Ordinary” Friday, August 7 -  Sunday, August 9, 2009 At The Bateman Gallery, ArtSpring, The Islands Art Centre. 100 Jackson Ave. Ganges, BC.

Submitted by Stephen Glanville

The exhibit features oil paintings, bronze sculpture, prints and cards and is the first solo exhibit by Diana Dean in 2009.

“Diana will be including an oil painting: “The Banquet # 10 – La Cocina”.  82″ x 53″  that will be shown in Florence, Italy later this year at the Florence Biennale 2009, Dec. 5th – 13th.

The Banquet series of 10 interconnecting paintings is 68 feet in total length but only one piece of the series will be included in this show. Many have been sold since the project was started in 1992 and completed only just recently with final touches being applied to the remaining  “La Cocina”  (The Kitchen) from Diana’s studio.”

Diana is also a cellist and this is reflected in “The Banquet” series which is based on the Octave in music.

“There are 8 notes and two half notes which make ten. The half notes are larger paintings intersecting the Octave between 3 and 4 and 7 and 8 as in a scale. The half note paintings represent something spiritual entering in to every day life.  Hence, ‘The Mysterious in the Ordinary.’”

Diana Dean began oil painting at the age of fourteen. She attended the Bath Academy of Art at Corsham, England from where she graduated in 1964 with a Distinction in Sculpture and a Diploma in Art and Education.

Born in Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) in 1942, Dean moved first to England at an early
age and then to Canada, further developing her vision amongst the natural beauty
of Canada’s Pacific West Coast.

Diana continues “creating a powerful body of work that is epic in subject matter, composition, scale and historical parallels”.”The Banquet” series of ten paintings being the largest at 68 feet in total length.

Dean’s work is included in the Canada Council Art Bank, the McMichael Canadian
Art Collection and the Dupont Canada Inc.Collection.

“I put my fury and pain into “pain-ting” to transform it into something beautiful,
until finally there is pure joy in the final touches of Light.”