Diana Dean

Studio Visit with Diana Dean showcasing her upcoming exhibition:
A Survey and New Works 
at Martin Batchelor Gallery May 27-June 22, 2017.
Opening Sat May 27 6–9pm. Artist in Attendance.

Saturday, May 27. Opening night at Martin Batchelor Gallery was a delightful blend of beautiful paintings and joyful piano tunes. Some photos and interviews with guests follow. Be sure to visit this impressive collection on view until June 22.

Malgorzata Mackowiak Ph.D. is an abstract painter who lives close to Martin Batchelor Gallery. Her paintings convey enigmatic messages through geometric design, dramatic colour and texture. Her influences include Paul Klee and Swedish artist Hilma af Klint. Malgorzata marvels at the degree of transparency found in Diana’s oil paintings. The rich colours and glowing light remind her of works by
old masters.

Marshall and Donna Soules. In 1981, Donna sat for many hours as a model for Diana Dean. The sitting was an interesting experience for the young woman who later found and purchased Donna on Chaise Loungue. Marshall Soules writes eloquently about Diana Dean’s artistic process and complex subject matter. The couple are ardent supporters of Diana’s artwork and professional development.

Carol Sokoloff is a jazz singer, writer and choral director who serenaded guests with piano renditions of jazz standards. She appreciates the story telling and emotional content found in Clayoquot - Morning of the Demonstrations. This painting reminds Carol of magnificent artworks like The Night Watch by Rembrandt viewed while traveling abroad.

Susan Devor Cogan is a singer/songwriter from Salt Spring Island. She feels lucky to own an original Diana Dean and came to support her talented friend.

Susan says: “I found it an astounding experience to be in a gallery ringed with Diana's paintings. They are windows into extraordinary worlds where beauty reigns.”

Below: Studio Visit with Diana Dean showcasing her current exhibition: A Survey and New Works 

Diana Dean’s home-studio perches on a wooded hilltop near the northern shore of Salt Spring Island. Since 1982, the artist has painted her large-scale dramatic compositions in this space. Looking around, it seems natural that the artist’s landscapes sing out the multi-hued splendour of her island home. The natural and the supra-natural blend effortlessly in her mythic environments peopled with saints, peasants, lovers, and protagonists.

Diana Dean in her studio on Salt Spring Island, January 2017. Photo by Stephen Glanville

Friend and assistant Stephen Glanville at Diana Dean studio 2017

Born in Rhodesia, educated in England, Diana Dean studied sculpture and painting at the Bath Academy of Art. After moving to Canada in 1975, she continued to paint and exhibit her work in group and solo shows. The artist's originals grace many private and corporate collections in North America and Britain. After 60 years of painting, her creative fires still burn brightly. Dean describes her process as “using the magic of painting materials to create a marriage between matter and inspiration.”
Themes include a multitude of relationships: inner nature and outer expression, bonds with friends and family, and myriad elements of earth, sky and sea. She strives to bring the essence of her inner vision into her paintings.

Chichester Mews, oil on canvas, 30x30 in, 2014 from 1960 powder painting.

Wood Spirit, oil on canvas, 5x3 ft, 1987.

The Ritual, oil on canvas, 4x5 ft, 1986.

The upcoming show at Martin Batchelor Gallery includes a retrospective of Dean’s artistic journey. She began painting abstractions with geometric shapes in the 1960’s. Gradually her work evolved more depth of space through manipulation of colour and form. Painting the human form presents an ongoing challenge for the artist. Within her dynamic scenarios,
she often casts characters in heroic or mythic roles, while striving to preserve their individual personas.

The Passage, oil on canvas, 54x54 in, 1993, reworked 2017.

Artemis and Actaeon, oil on canvas, 54x54 in, 1998

The painter brings a wealth of life experience and inner vision to her work. Her paintings express a wide range of human sensibilities, a full spectrum of thoughts and feelings. Finishing a painting is not always easy, as many revisions happen along the way. Compositions evolve and change as new characters emerge. “My paintings go through a turbulent creative process,” she says, “until I finally realize the ultimate purpose of the painting.” During her final brush stokes, the artist can be flooded with emotions of serenity and love, signalling the culmination of her artistic journey.

To illustrate the evolution of an artwork, Dean shows me a photo of a previous version of The Passage (above left). In the former version the narrative is the same but presented in a more impressionistic style. Mottled strokes of colour and choppy brushwork animate the canvas, suggesting the turbulence of wind and water. “I see now it was a good painting,” she says, “so I have some regrets about starting over.” Often, the artist does create (and keep) different versions of the same painting.

Clayoquot - Morning of the Demonstration, oil on canvas, 6x8 ft, 2010.

Dante and Beatrice, oil on canvas, 54x81 in, 2004, reworked in 2017.

One of her largest paintings in the show Clayoquot - Morning of the Demonstration (above left) was inspired by the 1993 protests. Dean recalls how she and other protestors travelled all night on a bus to arrive at the early morning blockade. The painting shows the emotions of the crowd as people were arrested. Arms and signs wave; drumming and chanting enliven the scene. A field of stumps and a logging truck on a windy road form the backdrop. Sunrise hues ignite the mountainous terrain. This painting was sold to a collector, but loaned back to the artist for the show.

Diana Dean is an expert colourist who often uses saturated tones for emotional impact. Subtle shading found in skies and waterways add warmth and wonder to the works. Her paintings appear to glow with an inner light that invites the viewer into imaginary worlds. Dean’s paintings are built up with many layers of oil paint. She uses a blend of stand oil paint, damar varnish and turpentine. After each layer she adds another ounce of oil paint to the medium to prevent cracking. With oil paint taking many days to dry, she usually works on more than one canvas at a time. To remove lumps, the artists sands the canvas, then adds a final glaze.

Growth, oil on canvas, 40x30 in, 2016

The Calling #1, oil on canvas, 48x48 in, 2008.

House at Central, oil on canvas, 30x24 in, 2015.

The artist is inspired by great painters of the Renaissance and Baroque periods. The Calling (above middle) is modelled after Caravaggio’s stunning portrait of Christ summoning St Matthew to his flock. Instead of men seated outside a tavern, there is a card game and wine on this contemporary table. But the same atmosphere of hushed expectancy prevails, as mundane activities are suspended by the outstretched hand of fate.

Artemisia (1593-1653), a contemporary of Caravaggio (1571-1610) was an exceptional female painter of the Baroque period. She excelled in spite of sexism and legal scandal. Baroque art favours the use of dramatic action, rich colours, sensuous textures and bold contrasts to engage the viewer. Dean witnessed these qualities in a famous painting by Artemisia in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. The painting Judith and Holophernes reenacts a grisly beheading scene from the Bible. “I was awestruck by the tempestuous drama of this powerful painting,” Dean says.

The Garden, oil on canvas, 72x72 in, 2004 and 2017

Salt Spring Island landscape, oil on canvas, 36x48 in, 2016

Moving towards the Light, oil on canvas, 36x60 in, 2015

Waterfall in the Valley, oil on canvas, 30x40 in, 2014.

Diana Dean began sculpting in her teenage years. Upon graduating from the Bath Academy of Art in 1964, her Diploma in Art and Education included a distinction in sculpture. Between 1963-1973, Dean exhibited widely in England and received many awards for the sculptural works. Jacob Burton, one of Dean’s four son’s is also a sculptor. The other three work in creative and design fields. Looking back, Dean has many happy memories of raising her busy brood in the creative mecca of Salt Spring Island.

Erasmus, bronze, 14x9x7 in, 2007.

Rebirth, bronze, 30x6x7 in, 2017. Cast at Burton Bronze Foundry from a 1964 wood carving by Diana Dean.

African Family, bronze, 15x14x9 in, 2008.

Martin Batchelor Gallery is located at 712 Cormorant Street. Hours: Mon–Sat 10am-5pm.

Diana Dean and Stephen Glanville at Martin Batchelor Gallery on May 27.

Kate in March 2017 at Diana Dean's Studio on Salt Spring Island.

Web Design, Content and Selected Photos by Kate Cino

Kate previewed arts events for 18 years at Boulevard magazine.
She has a History in Art degree and Public Relations certificate from the University of Victoria

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