On Golden Sand by Diane Whalley

Diane Whalley
On Golden Sand
Contemporary Abstract Painting
Mixed Media on Canvas
Size: H 105cm x W 105cm
Sold Framed in a White Wood Floating Frame
(Please note that in situ images are purely an indication of how a piece may look.)

On Golden Sand is an original expressionist abstract painting with oil pastel detailing by Diane Whalley. Many layers of paint are applied to the canvas to create texture and depth to the final piece with great swathes of strong acrylic paint colours. Presented in a white wood floating frame.

Many of my works are representative of my time travelling the Mediterranean by boat with two young daughters and then settling by the sea in Cornwall. This piece is mainly about the arrival in one of the many bays of emerald/turquoise water edged with golden sand found along the shores of the Greek Islands. Equally, as representative of the beautiful Cornish coastline with its many hidden coves.

Diane Whalley has been creating and designing since childhood across a number of disciplines, but more recently turned to abstract painting, mainly in acrylics, sometimes with oil pastel and charcoal detailing. Her paintings, which can be immense and immersive, are often a mix of layered muted colours with splashes of brighter shades, using abstract images and ethereal, painterly swathes resulting in fresh, light and sometimes delicate compositions. Through the layering of paint can be glimpsed the under painting of images and detailing.  But sometimes, Diane goes bold with stronger hues and naïve forms. She paints intuitively from the imagination and personal reflections. ‘I start with a thought … an idea … an emotion … an image and the picture evolves and emerges as I work. Firstly, I select my palette and then I paint in gestural strokes and washes. The resultant piece can sometimes appear by accident. I am a self-taught artist with a love of fresh, pure colour and simple forms. I hope to evoke the viewer’s creative mind as well as my artworks complementing the settings in which they are displayed. I love the unusual and the unusual often features in my work.’ Her childhood in scenic, rural Shropshire first inspired her interest in art. She then went on to study Graphic Art and Design in Liverpool. Upon graduating with a BA honours she worked with the media, but was soon pursued for a career in public relations in the West Midlands and Warwickshire. For a year she opted out with a move to Penzance in Cornwall where she re-established her creative instincts, but was, too quickly, drawn back to Warwickshire and the Cotswolds due to work commitments. It was only after becoming a mum to two daughters that she returned properly to her love of art and design, choosing at first to work with textiles producing and selling quirky and colourful pictures. By this time she had moved to rural Kent in the SE of England, but while there tragedy struck her family and she was propelled onto a new path with her daughters back in Cornwall, this time to the charming and ancient port of Fowey. It was here that she learnt to sail with spells in the Mediterranean, taking in Greece, Italy, France, Spain and many of its islands. This period greatly influenced her abstract paintings of today … full of vibrancy, experimentation and expressionism. In 2016, living just on the outskirts of Fowey and surrounded by AONB countryside and a stone’s throw from the picturesque coast of Cornwall, with much encouragement Diane established her garden studio and contemporary gallery continuing to develop her skills with inspiration from her Cornwall surroundings. Over the years her artworks have been exhibited in Kent, Warwickshire and Cornwall and she has taken part in the Cornwall Open Studios week. Diane’s artworks can be found in private collections in Paris, Dublin, Australia, South Africa and across the UK. T

Size: H:105 cm x W:105 cm

Diane Whalley has original artworks for sale with Wychwood Art in their art gallery and online. Diane Whalley has been creating and designing for a number of years across a number of disciplines, but since 2016 she began her adventure with abstract painting, mainly in acrylics, sometimes with oil pastel, graphite and mark making details. Her paintings are often a mix of layered muted colours with splashes of brighter shades, using abstract images and ethereal, painterly swathes resulting in fresh, light and immersive compositions. Through the layers of paint can be glimpsed images and detailing. She paints intuitively from the imagination and personal reflections. After graduating from Liverpool School of Art and Design with a BA (hons) degree Diane worked for a number of years for the media and PR agencies. It was after becoming a mum to two daughters that she returned to her love of art and design. At first she worked with textiles producing and selling quirky and colourful pictures in Warwickshire and Kent. When tragedy struck her family she was propelled onto a new path with her daughters deciding to make Cornwall her home. It was a time of reflection and learning to sail, with longs trips around the Mediterranean. This period has greatly influenced her work - full of contemplation, vibrancy, experimentation and expressionism. Diane now works from her garden studio and gallery at her home just on the outskirts of Fowey. Here she is surrounded by AONB and just a stone’s throw from the beautiful Cornish coastline, from where she draws some of her inspiration. Over the years her artworks have been exhibited in Kent, Warwickshire and Cornwall - including Cornwall Open Studios week and selected artworks for Penwith Gallery associate members summer exhibition 2018 and St.Ives Society of Artists winter exhibition 2019 - and she is represented in Oxfordshire by Wychwood Art. Diane’s artworks can be found in private collections in Paris, Dublin, Australia, South Africa and across the UK. To discuss any art works or to commission art by Diane Whalley, please contact Deborah Allan on deborah@wychwoodart.com or call 07799 535765 / 01869 338155.