PORTLAND OPEN STUDIOS 2020 SPECIAL! My small 8×10 original drawings are only available during Portland Open Studios weekend! Scroll down to see the drawings below, and email me at diane@dianerussell.net if you would like to purchase one! Free shipping/contact free delivery!
I am pleased to have created my first YouTube video as part of the 2020 Virtual Portland Open Studios! And check out my Instagram live talk from October 17, 2020. I will take you on a tour of my gallery of paintings and drawings, and will have a special selection of small 8×10 original drawings available for sale. I will also be able to answer your questions, so feel free to contact me! My Instagram link is https://www.instagram.com/dianerussellart/. For more information on the virtual tour, visit the Portland Open Studios website, https://portlandopenstudios.com/. (Video editing by Liana Kramer and Motaz Hussein.)
On April 2, 2020, I had to say goodbye to my beautiful little kitty Jazzmyn. She was the sweetest cat I’ve ever had, and I miss her so much. She was with me for thirteen of her 16.5 years, and she helped me through some very difficult times. Jazzmyn was my constant companion in the studio, spending lots of time on top of drawings that I was trying to work on, and jumping on top of my printer while it was printing. She loved to watch me while I was painting, and she followed me everywhere! I was hospice caring for her during her last few weeks, and I’m glad I did so many drawings of her over the past few years. It is wonderful to have these drawings to remember her by now that she’s gone. My drawings of her have inspired me to do more pet portraits, and if they inspire you to have a pet portrait done too, feel free to contact me for more info! Charcoal pencil portrait prices start at $100 for an 8×10 portrait, or $300 for a 15×19″ portrait! Email me with any questions, and I’ll be happy to answer!
I am honored to be featured in the latest edition of Realism Today, a weekly newsletter by Streamline Publishing. This interview took place after I attended the FACE Convention in Miami in November 2018, for which I was awarded a full scholarship. Thank you to everyone at Streamline Publishing! https://realismtoday.com/figurative-art-painting-portraits-musicians/
I am very honored to have received one of seven scholarships to attend the 2018 Figurative Art Convention & Expo, November 7-10, in Miami Florida! This amazing event, put together by Fine Art Connoisseur Magazine, will feature demos and lectures by the country’s top portrait artists. I’m looking forward to attending, and meeting and learning from these wonderful artists! More information on FACE can be found at https://figurativeartconvention.com.
It was an honor to paint the official portrait of the 2017 Rose Festival Queen, Michaela Canete. The portrait was unveiled at the Oregon Society of Artists, where it will be on display for the month of June. It then will join four other portraits of previous Rose Festival queens at the Rose Festival Building on SW Naito Parkway in Portland. Thank you to the Oregon Society of Artists, the Portland Rose Festival, and to Michaela Canete for being such a wonderful model! KPTV Fox 12 news was there to capture the unveiling, and filmed this short video! http://www.kptv.com/…/36th-annual-rose-festival-art-show-op… Photos of Michaela’s reaction to the portrait courtesy of Liana Kramer.
I am pleased to announce that I was awarded the commission to paint the 2017 Rose Festival Queen! I will be painting the portrait of Michaela Canete during the next year, and the finished portrait will be unveiled at the Oregon Society of Artists Rose Festival Show in June 2018. Many thanks to the Oregon Society of Artists and the Portland Rose Festival Association! Stay tuned for updates!
It is an honor to be a featured artist at Portland International Airport this year! The exhibit, titled “Portland Soul: Portraits in Jazz & Blues”, is on display on Concourse E from February through July 2016. This exhibit features many of my portraits of the Portland blues and Jazz musicians whose music has inspired me to do the work that I do. As I was putting this show together, I started thinking about all the musicians I have painted and how many more I would still like to paint (or draw). Some are still with us, and sadly many have passed away in recent years. It began to dawn on me that my work is becoming a documentary of sorts, which hopefully will evolve into a book as soon as I have enough portraits finished! To see more about my exhibit, and others at PDX, visit the Port of Portland’s PDX Art Program.
Photo credit: Dan Kvitka
A big thank you to Ken Boddie of KOIN 6, who put together this segment on my work! My story is actually part of a larger series Ken is working on called “Where We Live”, which features many stories about Oregon. Check out the video at KOIN 6 – Where We Live.
I am so honored to be part of this wonderful memorial tribute to Judy VanAlstyne, commissioned by the Bill Naito Company in Portland. The memorial was designed by Mary Galluzzo Design and written by Janet Gonrowski. And I was fortunate enough to get to know Judy during my month long process of painting her. Judy served the Bill Naito Co. for 24 years as property manager, and was known and revered for her dedication to Portland’s downtown and Old Town. She was a mentor, a strong supporter of women in business, and she was a key team member responsible for bringing City Target to downtown Portland. So it is only fitting that Judy’s memorial is permanently exhibited in the Galleria Building in Portland.
