My paintings have developed over 45 years to encompass universal issues which are both deeply personal and profoundly human. From the late 1970's my vision was influenced by media arts, film, photography and the pattern and decoration movement of the time. In the 1980's through the 1990's the paintings portrayed images of sorrow, pain, and inner wounding. I was driven by my own process of healing, and self discovery, and compelled to create images out of this experience. I did many large diptychs which paired a figure with animals or landscape to show the importance of our connection with nature to heal our wounded souls. My focus turned to a concern for future generations after the birth of my only child in 1997. My paintings began to incorporate words, text, images of children, nature, prayer, and additionally images of the ethereal realms, of memory, dreams, and spirit.
In early paintings the figures were in an invented space, but it was an actual
room, where light and shadows existed. Over time my work metamorpasized, the shadows, rooms, patterns and walls are gone, and the figures live in an etheral realm where other images and words float in and out of reality. I have always admired artists who were not afraid to follow the whispers of their own heart, to let their work change directions in order to grow.
“The Weeping Drawer” (2007-2023) has an actual drawer built into the box which opens and contains small paintings that represent pain, suffering, and loss. I imagine this painting acts as a shamanic object which encases my intent to transmute pain into a greater power. I have always mined the experiences of my own life, searching for a universal truth within that experience, and this becomes a road map for my work. “Death is a Hard Teacher” (2022) has the quote scratched onto the surface, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” Through this painting I reflect on the issues of love, loss, betrayal, pain and grief. Spritual teacher Thich Nhat Hanh said, "out of suffering compassion may be born."
My paintings offer a vision of a spiritual path, the importance of connection with the natural world, and facing life’s sorrows and suffering to heal. Love of wilderness, whispers from the spiritual world, and the beauty of the American West continue to be a guiding force in my life and in my art.
Diane Marsh 2025
In early paintings the figures were in an invented space, but it was an actual
room, where light and shadows existed. Over time my work metamorpasized, the shadows, rooms, patterns and walls are gone, and the figures live in an etheral realm where other images and words float in and out of reality. I have always admired artists who were not afraid to follow the whispers of their own heart, to let their work change directions in order to grow.
“The Weeping Drawer” (2007-2023) has an actual drawer built into the box which opens and contains small paintings that represent pain, suffering, and loss. I imagine this painting acts as a shamanic object which encases my intent to transmute pain into a greater power. I have always mined the experiences of my own life, searching for a universal truth within that experience, and this becomes a road map for my work. “Death is a Hard Teacher” (2022) has the quote scratched onto the surface, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” Through this painting I reflect on the issues of love, loss, betrayal, pain and grief. Spritual teacher Thich Nhat Hanh said, "out of suffering compassion may be born."
My paintings offer a vision of a spiritual path, the importance of connection with the natural world, and facing life’s sorrows and suffering to heal. Love of wilderness, whispers from the spiritual world, and the beauty of the American West continue to be a guiding force in my life and in my art.
Diane Marsh 2025
