I engage with my paints, I don’t control them. I let the paint flow, trusting it and guiding the fluid movement. My art is a wondrous passion dance with my colors. --Diane Calogero

Some say I was born with art in my blood. From a very young age, I was always creating. I was basically self-taught, although I was fortunate to come from a creative family. (I can’t think of anyone in my family who is not a professional artist, musician, or fabric designer). My first lesson in oil painting was with my mom, while vacationing in Montauk, NY. (And I even won a young artists show at Roosevelt Raceway.)

I was also lucky to have attended a high school with several different art courses, from oil painting to jewelry making. Then, at Montclair University I majored in Fine Arts. Currently, I’ve been a registered nurse for 25 years, although I have now come full circle to resume my love for the arts.

My art is a combination of chemistry, physics and painting. Rather than using a traditional paint brush, I achieve the energetic flow of my paintings by working in layers, blowing on the acrylic paint, sometimes through a straw, and tilting or spinning the paintings to glide one layer over the others.

I also add many additives to my acrylics, including metallics, high-pigment micas, and others, which I develop into my own paints or add to others. I never use oils or silicon. And I finish all of my paintings with a high-quality, artist-grade varnish.

Thank you for coming on this journey with me.

imnrn100@aol.com