Featured Artist for August 1998

Featured GiveAway by Dianne Gardner Rose of Sharon 19" x 25" - 1998 Pastel on Paper Valued at $300

Steven Fujimoto Torrance, CA

The artist created "Rose of Sharon" just for the August feature. The "Rose of Sharon" is found in the Song of Solomon and some people believe it is a love story between God and His church. The dancer is the betrothed Bride bowing in worship. This work was also an inspiration to Dianne from the ballet performance, "Ballet Magnificat", where a dance was performed called the "Rose of Sharon".


MEET THE ARTIST

Featured Artist Dianne Gardner

Dianne Gardner was born on May 5, 1949 in Lakewood, Ohio. Her mother painted portraits in oils but never pursued it as a career and basically kept her paintings in the closet. Her father was also an artistic draftsmen but the Depression prevented him from pursuing it commercially. She lived in Ohio until she was 5 and moved to Los Angeles where she grew up as a child. She graduated from Westchester High School in Los Angeles county and attended Northern Arizona University in 1968.

Dianne has been an artist since childhood and can't remember ever fitting in with the norm or desiring to do things without some artistic notion of her own. Some people call this rebellion but it was not with malicious intent she rebelled, but a rather curious nature for something new and innovative. This style of living has caused her grief at times and has taught her lessons that were probably not necessary. She just took it into her own hands to create and shape her life with a flavor all her own. She found just about every pitfall and stumbling block and it wasn't until she sank into a pit so overwhelming that she finally broke down and asked God for help. Needless to say, Dianne has surrendered her will and heart to God and the colors of her very existence lost their muddy hue and began to shine clear. The purpose of her life became very apparent to her and God was simply going to play a very important role. She discovered that the reasons God gave her talent was to use it to preach the Gospel and to edify the Church. She found this not only applying to her artwork, but to her life as well. Today, Dianne stands dedicated to God's will and passing this cup on to others has become her purpose in life.

Dianne left school and lived in the "wilderness" which she terms "a time of growing; learning life's ups and downs; and having children". She studied in Arizona under Master Sculptor John Henry Waddell and wildlife artist, Roxanne Betu. She moved between the states, Arizona and California, until she settled down in Washington state in 1989. She attended Eton Technical Institute and corresponded with the National Radio Institute to learn computers and desktop publishing. She also studied art at Olympic College for a year and spent two years in a Pastoral Internship at Abundant Life Foursquare Church working towards a degree in Pastoral Ministries at Southeastern College. She is the mother to seven children and married a wonderful man in July 1997. Dianne owns her own home on an acre of land where she hopes to build a studio soon. At the moment, she is responsible for getting a Cultural Center up and running. Dianne's dream for the Center is to have a facility for all Christian Artists, (whether music, dance, theater, literary or fine arts), where they can all collaborate together on their work.

	In My Father's Arms is a perfect picture of a perfect father. A father thinking of the plans, hopes and dreams for the future. Dianne says, "We are really little babies in God's arms and can't see beyond our own desires. But, He does. And like a Father, he protects us, nourishes us, disciplines us, and waits for us to grow up."
In My Father's Arms, 1996 40 x 18", Oil on Canvas

ABOUT THE ARTIST

The need for Dianne to create runs deep into her heart. She says, "The need to create is a love swelling to the surface and a way to express my love for life and for God. I believe this need is really a gift from God and that my art is a testimony to this gift. I see concepts in pictures and I see my life as if looking through the eye of an eagle. I relate my own life experiences to biblical times and I want those experiences relayed to others. I love life. I think the human body is beautiful in its expression, in its form, in its being and in its desire to seek out truth."

The Embrace started out as a painting of Jesus on the beach cooking fish for his disciples after his resurrection. But Dianne felt the painting was just not inspired. She was angry and depressed and took her palette knife and smeared all the paint she had onto the canvas leaving it muddy brown on her easel for days. She was aching inside and lonely. Her earthly father had never blessed her marriage and for some reason the pain of that stirred inside of her now. She finally went back to the easel and started weeping. She knew in her heart that she had God's blessing and immediately saw herself crying to God with his painful crown of thorns. He knew her sorrow and was there to comfort her while she painted The Embrace. Shortly after, she met her future husband.

The Embrace, 25 x 37" Oil on Canvas, 1996

Dianne rarely paints from looking at a scene and she says, "My own artwork could not compare to the beauties of nature". She admires other artists who capture nature's beauty and she prefers to draw and paint the human body. Dianne mentions, "I capture the emotion and the soul much better than I can capture the actual physical appearance." Most of her art is created by studying and drawing and learning the form. Then, when her brush touches the canvas, she works directly from memory. She uses Daniel Smith oil paints and stretched canvas coated with rabbit skin glue that's heavily gessoed.

When Dianne is in the midst of a painting, she'll work into the wee hours of the morning. She literally has to stop herself to get rest or to eat and come back to "reality". Like an addiction, she works as the inspiration moves her and it is her intent to paint no matter how long until the inspiration ceases.

	Dianne fasted for three days before she painted Thomas: Believe. Then she ate bread and fish. She wanted to paint Jesus after His resurrection in as sacred a manner as she could. At the end of her fast, she realized that Jesus was more "real" than He had ever been. It is the Resurrection from death to life that gives us hope. This is the message she seeks to deliver through her paintings.
Thomas: Believe, 31 x 48" Oil on Canvas, 1995

There was a time that Dianne grew away from God during her school years. She even gave up her art. Those years were pretty dark years for Dianne. She lived with a man, had four children and then he left her. She was married twice after and those marriages ended up abusive. She found herself raising all her children alone and it wasn't until she rededicated her life to God that the course of her life changed. It wasn't until hearing from God directly that she was able to begin painting again. In her own words, here is what changed her life: "When I began going to church again, I started thinking that painting was idolatry because of some passages in the Bible about 'graven images'. So, I didn't let myself paint at all. But one evening, I know I heard the Lord call me out of bed to my knees and He spoke to me and asked me what I had done with the talent He gave me...it was just like the parable in the Bible, and just like the man who had answered Him I said, "I buried it." and He asked me "Why?" and I had to answer "because I believed that you were a hard man." God said if I use my talent to express His love for mankind then it is "preaching the Gospel message of Christ". I was blessed shortly after that with an inheritance that allowed me to paint. What came from that were twelve pictures depicting not only the life of Christ...but of the work that He has done in me - from healing me (The Embrace, Jehovah-Rapha), to rescuing me from my enemies (The Judgment) to pouring out His love and Promise to me (In My Father's Arms)."

During the later part of that season, Dianne began to display those paintings. And since she loves to work while listening to music, she asked a friend who writes music to write some songs to her paintings. She also wrote a narrative that pulled them altogether. She then asked actor friends to act out some of the narrative and to contribute some of their own work. Another friend who dances ballet, choreographed two dances to the music. They all put this show on for a year at churches, retreats and community centers. They had young men carting her paintings around in a truck as they caravaned as far as Oregon to put on their show, " The Wall; A Metaphor".

The Lord Who Sanctifies is one of Dianne's favorite works. The earth tones set the mood. As He hears them argue over who is the greatest, Jesus knows that there is one more lesson to teach about love and servanthood. He unrobes himself, takes the earthen vessel and a towel, and kneels at the foot of one of His disciples. The others light a candle and move closer to him. Some are amazed and stunned, some puzzled, others appalled, since cleaning feet is compared to cleaning latrines in this era. Peter is offended. John ponders the event as the message sinks deep into his heart and is known to be the only disciple to write about it. There is a stillness as they watch Jesus and learn.

The Lord Who Sanctifies, 30 x 40" Oil on Canvas, 1995-96

Judgment, 1995 Oil on Canvas, 44 x 48"

Judgment was painted during Dianne's Pastoral Ministries studies. It was a trying time but exciting for her as well. She experienced unsettled emotions as the Lord took her through "the fire" of learning. During one of these trials, she felt persecution from others regarding her past. She took her fears to God and He said to her, "Paint me a picture." So, she opened her Bible to John 8 which happened to be the story of the prostitute who was about to be stoned for her sexual immorality. Alone and up against a wall in front of her accusers, Dianne saw herself in this picture. Only the Authority of God could have saved either one of them from this predicament. Jesus waited silently for God's answer and it came. "You who are without sin, you cast the first stone." There lays the stone tempting yet forbidden, because kneeling right by that weapon of death is Truth Himself.

Contact the Artist

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ARTIST STATEMENT

Expressing the deepest inner most thoughts of my soul makes me tick. Be it in art, writing, singing, gardening, whatever way I can. And enjoying life is important as well as thanking God for each moment and seeing the beauty in that moment. ~ Dianne Gardner