Page 10 - EMCAPP-Journal No. 14

How Long?

intuitive. Often she does not rely heavily on the southwest skies. Viewers of her work have
preliminary sketches other than the occasio- described it as “powerful” and having a quality
nal thumbnail but prefers to plunge in, begin- that “draws you in”.
ning with an idea of the composition followed
by quick application of initial color. From the- Loving art that suggests rather than gives detail,
re she builds the painting, line upon line, layer her desire is to invite viewers into her paintings
upon layer, often using palette knives and other to experience what she sees, both naturally and
tools to apply paint directly without brushes. spiritually. The themes that dominate her work
She is inspired by the natural environment are landscapes and nature, abstractions and spi-
around her, her faith, and the visions seen in ritual or visionary work; often these are inter-
her “mind’s eye”. For Fairfield, painting is a way connected.
of expressing not only the seen but the unseen, In her vision of art she is committed to com-
which for her are interwoven. “The challenge is municating about beauty and the glory of God.
to paint not only what my eyes see but also to “There is much in this life to pull us down and
make the invisible visible. I paint to express the oppress us. My desire is to create a space whe-
wonder of what I see both physically and spiri- re people can be uplifted and inspired - a place
tually and am rarely as happy as when at work where they can get in touch with something
in my studio.” that enriches them” says Diane.

The big sky, clarity, and the open space at-
mosphere, in which she now lives, impact much dianefairfieldart@dakotacom.net
of her work along with the brilliant colors of www.dianefairfieldart.com

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