My paintings have evolved over 45 years to encompass universal issues which are both deeply personal and profoundly human. From the 1980's through the 1990's my figurative paintings portrayed images of sorrow, pain, and inner wounding, as a pathway to facilitate healing & self-growth. During this time, 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. After the birth of my only child in 1997 my paintings grew to include the question, “what will we leave of our earth for future generations?” I began to incorporate words, text, images of children, nature, prayer, and additionally images of the ethereal realms, of memory, dreams, and spirit.
“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 or transform pain to a greater power. I have always mined the experiences of my own life, searching for a universal truth within that experience, which then serves as 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.” While this painting came from the experience of suffering a personal loss, it caused me to reflect on the many traumas of our current world situation and the issues of loss, betrayal, pain and grief.
My paintings offer a vision of a spiritual path, the importance of connection with the natural world, and the encouragement to face life’s sorrows and suffering, to awaken in our hearts compassion for all life. As a contemporary mystic, love of wilderness and the beauty of the American West continue to be a guiding force in my life and in my art.
Diane Marsh 2023
“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 or transform pain to a greater power. I have always mined the experiences of my own life, searching for a universal truth within that experience, which then serves as 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.” While this painting came from the experience of suffering a personal loss, it caused me to reflect on the many traumas of our current world situation and the issues of loss, betrayal, pain and grief.
My paintings offer a vision of a spiritual path, the importance of connection with the natural world, and the encouragement to face life’s sorrows and suffering, to awaken in our hearts compassion for all life. As a contemporary mystic, love of wilderness and the beauty of the American West continue to be a guiding force in my life and in my art.
Diane Marsh 2023
