Diana Blackwell Fine Art
Artist directory :: Diana Blackwell Fine ArtBad Girls of the Edwardian Era
The Edwardian Era was a time of affluence and elegance coinciding with the Art Nouveau movement and the work of Alphonse Mucha. Known for his graceful, decorative depictions of beautiful women surrounded by swirling botanical motifs, Mucha is perhaps the most beloved and imitated artist of the Belle Epoque. My Bad Girls series pays homage to Mucha’s glorious style but explores the darker side of Edwardian women.
About
Diana Blackwell is a Berkeley painter best known for realist figurative drawings and paintings, with emphasis on portraits, done in real time from live models. She reveres the figurative tradition in western art and admires everybody from Jan Van Eyck to Alice Neel. Blackwell's favorite media include charcoal, acrylics, watercolor, and gouache.
Blackwell studied art in college under Frank Stack and received twenty years of informal instruction in figurative drawing and painting while working as an art model. Her work has shown or sold across the country and has illustrated books, magazines, and greeting cards.
“Diana’s work evokes a sense of the strong female spirit with an ethereal aesthetic.”
--Mignonne Design Blogspot
Galleries
 | | 47 items |
 | | These portraits are 30" x 40" or thereabouts. Consequently the figures are life sized or larger. (People who see them have asked me if I'm a muralist!) The emphasis is on accurate likeness, with bold colors and patterns. |
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 | | 174 items |
 | | Conte, colored pencil, charcoal, ink, and mixed media |
 | | 94 items |
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 | | 35 items |
 | | Portraits and figures in gouache on maps. |
 | | 42 items |
 | | These paintings are all based on a combination of additive and subtractive techniques. That is, paint is applied to the canvas and then selectively removed. |
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 | | 65 items |
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 | | 145 items |
 | | 37 items |
 | | Gestures and longer poses |
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 | | Linocuts, Woodcuts, Monoprints, monoprint collages, and collages |
 | | 45 items |
 | | 5 items |
 | | 3D works, mosaics,and other oddments that don't fit elsewhere |
 | | 28 items |
 | | 21 items |
Blog
Watercolor JournalInspired by Laura Horn's online lessons on watercolor abstracts, I followed her recommendations and started a little journal for experimenting with this medium. The small scale and informal feeling of the journal make this a freeing, low-pressure way to learn new ways to use watercolor. One new trick that has proven useful is Lauren Horn's use of a bamboo skewer to make very thin marks by dragging the skewer across wet areas.Drawing the Edwardian Ball
Best drawing event ever--if you don't mind moving targets! Imagine hundreds of people dressed in extraordinary, one-of-a-kind, hyper-creative costumes. Themes run from straightforward 19th century formal wear to steampunk to London "pearlies" to exotic eclecticism to completely unique and unclassifiable.
Whetzine Launch!
Last Saturday (1/25/2020), a super-cool new magazine launched, featuring art from various Bay Area women. The coral-themed inaugural issue includes fingernail art by Shawna H., poetry by Gabrielle Rae, digital illustrations by Kelly Heyer, poetry by Laurel Yando, collages by Angela Hockabout, drawings by Freda Maletsky, prints by Nicole Godreau Soria, and pastel portraiture by yours truly ! Check it out and order your very own copy at https://www.whetzine.online/
Illustration Contest Winner!
The literary journal Imitation Fruit has selected my painting The Animal People as the winner for an illustration context. They said: "Longtime Imitation Fruit contributor, Diana Blackwell won the "Let's Team Up Contest" with her cover art illustration "Animal People." The uniquely styled piece conjures up a film noir pack of friends you wouldn't want to cross in a dark alley.
Drawing the Dickens Fair
This delightful seasonal festival has really blossomed since I last attended ten years ago. The Cow Palace in SF becomes a charming recreation of Victorian London, with enough atmosphere to make fans like me slightly intoxicated. Ladies in bonnets and bustles stroll by with gentlemen in frock coats, while urchins in cloth caps and scamper past, looking for Oliver Twist.
