EMPHASISING THE POWER OF COLOURS
East Kent Gazette newspaper - 16 January 2008

Oast houses in Faversham and Borden Church are among the subjects of paintings in a Sittingbourne artist's debut exhibition.Diane Griffiths' free exhibition Bourne an Artist is a collection of landscapes from and East Sussex, with which she became inspired when she moved to from London last year

Diane, who uses painting as a way to escape the stresses of life, said: "I am essentially a landscape artist, although I also paint flora and animals. The landscapes I paint are based on places I have been to. I use experience and memory as my starting point, but am fascinated with pushing the contours of a beautiful landscape into the whimsical and magical.

"I am a very visual person. Nothing gives me more satisfaction than colour, shape, texture and light. I am constantly amazed by the power of colour. It isn't about representation, it is about so much more."

Diane describes painting as "real escapism", adding: "It allows thinking time away from the grindstone. I finish some paintings faster than others because when my thoughts are racing, my brush keeps pace.

"The young artist said she was looking forward to seeing how people react to her first collection, especially after she found it difficult to organise exhibitions in galleries when she lived in London.She continued: "It is very exciting and good practice. I was a bit concerned about how easy it would be to actually hang the pictures, but I got some help and I'm very happy with how it looks. My aim is to get more exposure.

If I sell some paintings that's great, but first and foremost I want to spread the word."Bourne An Artist is at Sittingbourne Library on Central Avenue until Wednesday, January 30.