She’s internationally renowned receiving critical acclaim for her evocative still life paintings. Her success spanning over 40 solo and 26 group exhibitions across Australia, Italy and the United, her work is held in high regarded featured in many collections worldwide.
Last Saturday’s Opening launch saw the unveiling of Diana’s latest solo exhibition at Gallery One at ‘Drinks with the Artist’ where we were able to delve into the mind of the creator of some of the world’s most riveting work.
“I capture and record the fleeting beauty of everyday life. There is a need to share this beauty in a world that is not without its foreboding. My hope is this imagery provides the viewer with a sense of hope and peacefulness”, says Ms Watson.
In a genre that is time immemorial, the works use a minimal palette of delicate colour, constructing a series of representations beautifully illuminated against dark umber tones. It pays homage to the baroque masters of tenebrism. Diana’s full blooms convey a peacefulness and purity as each painting draws you in and around a ‘vanitas’ of life’s simple pleasures, fragility and transience.
The inspiration she draws from in this collection inspired from her experiences in stylish Roman villas entertained in the most superb way by the family matriarch – for Diana, a sensory heaven of opulent feasts and festive atmosphere that continue to influence her craft today.
‘Foscari Chapter’ exhibition takes its name from the Villa Foscari, a patrician villa in the Veneto region, northern Italy, designed by the Italian architect Andrea Palladio. Like wandering the gardens and rooms of the villa, Diana’s paintings are redolent in history and tradition, inspiring a romantic journey of the imagination.
WHERE: The Brickworks. 107 Ferry Road, Southport QLD 4215
WHEN: Exhibition ends 3 August / 9am-5pm Mon to Sat, 10.30am-4pm Sun
CLICK HERE FOR EXHIBITION CATALOGUE