Diana Dabinett is a visual artist who lives and works in Newfoundland, on the edge of the North Atlantic. Diana has developed a close relationship with the land and seascapes of her surroundings. Her vibrant work on silk and in watercolour captures the joy she takes from her relationship with this distinctive northern environment.
“The underwater world beyond our shoreline and the brilliance of passing icebergs; the grace of seabirds on steep, dark cliffs; the fetid life of bogs, forests, and fields; the form of the land—these are some of the natural elements of the Newfoundland and Labrador experience that inspire me.
In vibrant colour, with translucent media, I attempt to capture the surface details of this unique and harsh place on the edge of Canada while also expressing the strange duality of its formidable strength and intense fragility. Through the luminosity of watercolour or the brilliance of remazol dyes on silk, I work to capture nature’s subtleties: sunlight’s sparkle, the delicacy of the freshest bloom, the sheen and luminescence of fish scales.
I live in Shoe Cove, north of St John’s on the east coast of Newfoundland; my home looks out over the Atlantic Ocean. I watch the seasonal changes, the shifts in moods, the migratory comings and goings, and keep an extensive reference library of photographs and scientific materials. Memories, experience, research, contemplation, and emotional response all provide the stimulus for my work.
The threat to the world's natural environment on so many fronts compels me to take in all that thrives here, to delight in its unspoilt variety, and to preserve in my work what I can of the beauty and diversity that still remains.”
