Check out Diane L. Silver’s Artwork

Today we’d like to introduce you to Diane L. Silver.

Diane L., we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
My story begins in a small New England town with a childhood passion for art, creativity and exploring new places, cultures and ideas. I took a few twists and turns in my career path before becoming a full-time artist, including becoming an attorney, traveling the world and settling in Phoenix, AZ.

A solo trip to Buenos Aires in the summer of 2011 inspired much of my current work. Finding myself removed from my normal environment, surroundings and language, I was forced to look inward to explore my own voice. I took only a few basic materials such as pencils, pens and paper, as well as the desire to visually record the connection between solitude and creativity. These minimal materials allowed me to express, through simple marks and layers of words woven through them, the emotional complexity of my love/hate relationship with solitude. Upon my return home to Arizona, I continued this process of working with layers of words and marks on paper using language as my visual subject. I also began to explore in my mixed media paintings the ephemeral nature of memory and how an image from the past can evoke a variety of reconstructed memories.

We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
My paintings reflect my feelings, dreams, hopes, memories and social concerns. I create my visual language using words, writing, gestural marks, photographic imagery, drawing and paint. I think of my paintings as captured moments in time.

I have always been drawn to words and writing both for the beauty of their visual impact and as a means of communicating an idea. I employ language in my paintings to expose and question the disorder that inhabits our inner and outer worlds. The words we choose form the tapestry of who we are and what we value. I also look at some of my work as a vehicle to promote civil discourse about divisive issues.

My most recent work looks at the parallels between memory and poetry and how each can evoke distant feelings through just a few words, a color or an object. Memory is an inconstant and changeable artist that sifts through and pieces together random bits of encoded information into new evolving memories. I use both abstract and representational imagery in this work to awaken moments from my past.

Artists face many challenges, but what do you feel is the most pressing among them?
I think there are both many opportunities and many challenges facing artists today. Unlike various times in the past when there was only one predominant style, today you find a multiplicity of styles in the art world. Within the myriad of possibilities each artist needs to find their own unique voice and techniques. Phoenix has a very vibrant and supportive artist community with many different venues to show your work. However, in order to encourage artists and allow them to thrive, we need more financial support and more affordable work spaces.

Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
My work can be seen at Gebert Contemporary, 7160 Main St., Scottsdale, AZ or online at: www.gebertartaz.com. I will have a solo show at Gebert titled, “REMEMBER THAT YOU WILL FORGET- the elusive nature of memory” from January 10 – February 2, 2019. The Opening Reception is on Jan. 10, 2019 from 7:00-9:00pm. My work can also be seen in the hotel rooms and common areas of FOUND:RE Hotel on Central Avenue, Phoenix, AZ. My website is: www.dianelsilverartist.com. I am on Facebook as Diane Silver and on Instagram as: language_of_solitude. I can be contacted on my website for commissions or studio visits.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.dianelsilverartist.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: language_of_solitude
• Facebook: Diane Silver

Image Credit:
Diane L. Silver

Getting in touch: VoyagePhoenix is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.