Today we’d like to introduce you to Diane Portwood.
Diane, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
I am a twenty-one-year-old self-taught mixed media artist and environmental engineering student known for depicting life in the ‘information age’ in my compelling urban contemporary style. My paintings consist of watercolor, acrylic, spray paint, and inks between layers of resin to give the two-dimensional work a feeling of greater depth. Using bold colors and engaging graffiti backgrounds, I am able to depict the shortcomings of modern social constructs while also showing hope for the future in a delicate balance of optimism and cynicism. I draw from my experiences in male dominated fields like my engineering background and experience as a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu competitor to embrace the strength within femininity in my work.
I was an avid competitor in the sport of eventing, an Olympic equestrian sport. I represented the United States in the North American Young Rider Championships in 2013 and 2015 bringing home team gold and individual gold. In early 2016, I had my sights set on qualifying for the Rio Olympics. Unfortunately, not far into the season a horse fell on top of me, completely severing her hip flexor causing extensive nerve damage. This injury ended my competitive eventing career. Unable to do anything physically active during my recovery, I turned to the canvas. Many of my works feature a theme of growth and decay, a balance of hope and cynicism representing the struggles I faced as I moved on with my life in the wake of the injury.
Can you give our readers some background on your art?
My artwork follows the story of my mental and physical growth after my life changing injury. Though I’ve always been a hobbyist, I had no intention of pursuing art full time or professionally. I used art in the wake of my injury as a form of catharsis, and my career took off from there.
Prior to my injury, I was so consumed by my athletic career in eventing and school that I was rarely ever social. At twenty years old, I was thrown into the modern social and dating scene. I always joke that, just like the critical period hypothesis for language acquisition, there is also a critical period for learning proper casual social behavior, and I have missed it. Many aspects of party and dating culture make no scenes to me, and like I used the canvas to depict my physical struggles, I also used it to depict my mental struggles as well. I use my work to criticize aspects of culture that I find detrimental, and I was surprised to find that many people reached out to me to explain they have similar feelings to my own. I quite taken aback that so many related to my struggles, and I am honored that my work continues to help and also inspire those that follow it.
I create artwork for audience members to project their own memories and emotions onto said work, and therefore I do not believe my interpretation of my own work is that important or meaningful. I often find that, though my audience share many similar opinions and feelings to my own, the interpret the meaning behind my artwork in a very different way. I honestly find this to be one of the most exciting and interesting aspects of creating my art.
What would you recommend to an artist new to the city, or to art, in terms of meeting and connecting with other artists and creatives?
A fantastic way to find other artists is to participate in local art walks and vending opportunities. Through these events, it is easy to meet artists and artisans of all disciplines, and often those artists can give your insight on more local business opportunities. Even if you cannot participate as a vendor, spectating and exploring these local art walks and engaging with the artists displaying can be just as useful.
What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
My work can be seen online at dianeportwoodarts.com and on instagram.com/dianeportwood . Additionally, my work is displayed in Gefen Fine Art in San Francisco, Flagler Village Gallery in Fort Lauderdale, and The Archives in Fort Lauderdale. An easy and free way to support both myself and other artists is to follow social media pages!
Original paintings and prints are available for purchase on my website, and commissions can be ordered by getting in contact with me through email (diane.portwood@gmail.com).
Contact Info:
- Website: dianeportwoodarts.com
- Phone: 7704037855
- Email: diane.portwood@gmail.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/dianeportwood
Image Credit:
Karin Mumm (photographer).
Getting in touch: VoyageMIA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
