MONTPELIER: Diane Donovan "In and Out the Kingdom"

Vermont Arts Council Spotlight Gallery presents In and Out the Kingdom, a collection of works by Diane Donovan (St. Johnsbury) in the Vermont vernacular that juxtaposes familiar scenes with stark realities.

Opening reception: April 4, 2014,  4 to 7:00 p.m. 
On exhibit through April 30, 2014.

Diane Donovan - Artist Statement

Infrared

The Kingdom. An earthy place of stark realities. In summer an overwhelming riot of green, in winter a bleak hibernal outpost. As a transplant from the Boston area many years ago, where I rode  the trolleys to high school, was nurtured by museums, galleries, the state university, and the artistic ambience of a city, I found that here in the Kingdom, by losing that identity, I also lost the filter of emotional history of my roots as a daughter of immigrants and shop owners. And so the Kingdom, more than anything else, was a portal to discovery for me as a painter. I discovered that, in this wild place that often misses the mark, where upward mobility isn't always the prize, I understood the place: it is a celebration of "just enough."

Art connects us with the world beyond the senses, and it is with an encounter with nature that artistic expression often finds its greatest resonanace. To me the landscape is not just the natural world but human activity that changes and puts its stamp on it. We are the landscape as well.

I was influenced by American Impressionism that flowered on Cape Cod where I made portraits in the summer in the 70's. Beyond painting the light, I see a composition like a puzzle, weaving the main idea into elements that fit into one another and whose pieces eventually fall in place. Color and glazes are ways to adjust the pieces to fit right.

Spotlight Gallery
Vermont Arts Council
136 State Street
Montpelier, VT

The Spotlight Gallery is open to the public and located in the corridor and conference room of our offices at 136 State Street in Montpelier. There are times when the conference room is not available, but the corridor exhibit is always open during regular business hours.
Gallery Hours: Monday - Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.