Original Art Piece

Pittsburgh is an exciting city. It has changed a lot since the 1960s, from a steel town to a city vibrant with the arts. This is from a photo I took of a building on the river. It is called CAPA 6-12, a Creative and Performing Arts Magnet school for sixth through twelfth grades. I merged a photo of mushrooms (they kind of look like lemons in my painting!)

Ms. Staver relocated to Indiana from the Chicago area in the early 2000s. Diane attended The School of Art Institute of Chicago and Northern Illinois University (BFA and MA in Studio Art in painting). She has several years of experience in the fine arts, graphic design, and as a college professor.
Since age five, Staver knew she wanted to be an artist, beginning to paint with oils at age ten. Her work is shown nationally. Diane was a full-time college professor in Indianapolis, Indiana, for thirteen years. Her teaching experience includes the fundamentals of design, color theory, drawing (figure, observational, and perspective), painting, mixed media, and illustration (including book, editorial, and sequential illustration).
Diane says of her inspiration, “I love urban environments. I love cities; the bigger, the better! I love the people, the movement, the architecture, and the sounds that makeup life in an urban environment.” She adds, “Some people love the serenity of the country, but not me. I lived near a major highway for years and slept like a baby!”

ARTIST’S STATEMENT

I don’t use pencil and paper to create my concept work; I do everything digitally. I use Photoshop and original digital photos to create my concept art. I combine photos, then manipulate, merge, add to, and eliminate areas until the final image emerges. Once satisfied, I used the completed image as a visual reference for paintings. In some cases, I leave the piece as digital art.
In my recent work, I’ve been exploring urban environments. Sometimes, it displays windows that merge the interior content with the reflections of the city. Other times, I add graffiti to buildings or objects. I love buildings that look like they have been around for years. I enjoy working with solid and bold colors and flattened forms.
When painting, I work with acrylics and mixed media. I use a stretched canvas explicitly made for applying different mediums. I am careful to work with archival materials.