Diane Guarino grew up and lived most of her life in Vermont before retiring from her career in education and moving to Rockport, Massachusetts. Her parents, both talented artists and creators themselves, encouraged her curiosity, creativity, and love of the natural world. She began drawing, painting, and exploring fiber arts from a young age, always seeking out artistic education in formal and informal settings. She uses a variety of techniques, but primarily favors water-based media for her work, which evokes her life in New England. From the farms and birch trees of Vermont to the rocky coasts of Massachusetts, she captures the invigorating sense of life, energy, and beauty she experiences in nature. Whether in the soulful eyes of an animal, the distinctive light of a forest in autumn, or the movement of waves on a rocky shore, her work combines realism with the imaginative softness of wonder.

 

Artist’s statement: Much of my work is drawn on my experiences in nature, where I feel calm and inspired. Even as a child, I was drawn to a sense of the miraculous details in the world around me. This now finds expression in an affinity for contemplative practices that inform my approach to my work as I pay attention to the surprising moments when inspiration emerges, sometimes unexpectedly. I hope that my work captures that combination of energy, wonder, and peaceful calm that I experience when inspired by the world around me. This is also my experience with my loved ones, and, for me, a painting is finished when it evokes that sense of love, and I can say, with joy, “I love it!” My hope is that it will then evoke that sense of emotion, story, and wonder for the viewer.