Artist Spotlight: Diane Rudnick Mann's ...Continued

Diane Rudnick Mann, Jelly Beans, Pastel, 15 x 15"

Tangible stillness and observation are constant staples in Diane Rudnick Mann’s art practice. Mann’s latest exhibition entitled …Continued delves deeper into the artist's fascination with objects and emotions that often go unnoticed, giving form to that which is taken for granted.

Diane Rudnick Mann, Measuring Spoons in Glass, Pastel, 17.5 x 16.5"

Sharpening and honing her eye for detail and stillness, Mann’s crisp pastel drawings draw from her personal obsession with exactness and precision. The nature of this work pays homage to the idea that objects, people, and ideas have inherent value that is often lost amongst the hustle and bustle of everyday life. To this end Mann is diligent in mimicking her subject’s silhouettes, marking each curvature, groove, crevice, and bruise on her canvas.

Diane Rudnick Mann, Art Deco Perfume Bottle Circa 1950's, Pastel, 17.5 x 15.5"

…Continued exhibits reverence to those things that Mann holds dear. Antique perfume bottles forgotten by time, silverware used for countless family dinners, and heirlooms passed down by friends all serve as muses, with Mann asking the viewer to take time with each piece and make their own subtle, emotional connections to the exhibition’s subject matter.

Diane Rudnick Mann, Sunny Silver, Pastel, 18.5 x 16.5"

August 29 – September 23, 2017 

Artist Panel Discussion:
Saturday, September 23, 3pm

Current Exhibition: Kathy Curtis Cahill, Carole Garland, Diane Rudnick Mann, Elyse Wyman

August 29 – September 23, 2017 

Opening Reception:
Saturday, September 9th, 5 – 8pm

Artist Panel Discussion:
Saturday, September 23, 3pm

Kathy Curtis Cahill – Childhood Matters

Kathy Curtis Cahill, Playing House, Photograph, 24x27"

Carole Garland – I [Heart] DTLA

Carole Garland, Southwestern Bag Company, Oil on canvas, 30x40"

Diane Rudnick Mann – …Continued

Diane Rudnick Mann, Cherries, Pastel, 14x16"

Elyse Wyman – Positive From Negative

Elyse Wyman, Dance Circle, Gold leaf on paper, 41.5 x 53.5”

Artist Spotlight: Diane Rudnick Mann's "Waiting"

Diane Rudnick Mann, Waiting for Attention, Pastel, 22.5 x 21"

Everyone is waiting for something; that something can be as simple as finding the right pair of shoes or the best haircut, others, on a deeper level, are waiting for love or power. Diane Rudnick Mann’s newest series of work entitled Waiting is composed of pastel paintings about the art of patience, though not what one would think at first glance.

Diane Rudnick Mann, Waiting for Thread, Pastel, 44.5 x 33" (detail)

Questioning the sense of waiting can become an exploration of frailty, transience and often humor. The objects Mann uses are the minutiae of every day life, things that are everywhere, but often overlooked. On closer inspection, these still life paintings are literally of still, silent objects in time, waiting to evoke questions and emotion. Regardless of the perfection of realism in her work, just painting a bowl of fruit has become meaningless to her unless one piece is damaged or strangely unusual. It is the presence of imperfection that has inspired Mann.

Diane Rudnick Mann, Please Keep Us Together, Pastel, 26 x 30"

The viewer, after a glance, will no longer notice just the color or style in her paintings but start to wonder what about this empty chair? Or the empty glass bowls or a doll staring into space? What is the story? Waiting aims to stimulate the senses in a quiet way, showcasing people or objects waiting to be found, used again and loved.

Diane Rudnick Mann, Red Waiting for Canvas, Pastel, 16 x 14.5"

Artist Panel: Saturday, December 10, 3pm

Current Exhibition: Anne M Bray, Diane Rudnick Mann, Joan Wynn

November 22 – December 17, 2016

Opening Reception: Saturday, December 3,  5-8pm

Artist Panel: Saturday, December 10, 3pm

Anne M Bray – Fashion Rainbow

Anne M Bray, Lupita, Digital print on paper, 21 x 17"

Diane Rudnick Mann - Waiting

Diane Rudnick Mann, Waiting, Pastel, 45 x 34"

Joan Wynn - Reflections

Joan Wynn, Guarding and Receiving, Liquid amber pods, satin steel, 13 x 7 x 6"

Coming Exhibition: Peter Kempson, Diane Rudnick Mann, Gary Polonsky

Tues. October 28 - Sat. November 22, 2014

Opening Reception: Saturday, November 1, 5-8 p.m.

Peter Kempson: 1947-2014, Peter Kempson

Peter Kempson, Chairman, Mixed Media 54 x 40 in., ed. 2/10

Peter Kempson passed away while working in preparation for his 2014 show. “Peter Kempson: 1947-2014” is a celebration of the artist’s life and a retrospective look at the Los Angeles landscapes and multimedia collage works that defined Kempson’s point of view. From his urban Los Angeles street scenes to more recent playful explorations in mixed media, Kempson enjoyed engaging in humorous social critique. Familiar icons from pop culture are digitally layered to create satirical situations and landscapes that dance between fantasy and reality. From a collaged portrait of director Steven Spielberg composed of his film posters, to a tongue-in-cheek depiction of communist revolutionary “Chairman” Mao Zedong portrayed in a sea of chairs, Kempson’s work encourages the viewer to critically examine our societal values. Injecting color and comedy in his invitation to peer into ornately detailed scenes, Kempson beckons viewers to take a closer look at modern society.

Everything Glass, Diane Rudnick Mann

Diane Rudnick Mann, 8 or 9 Bowls, Pastel, 28 x 32 in.

In her latest body of work, Diane Rudnick Mann continues to highlight beautiful detail in the everyday. Using photorealistic techniques with pastel, Mann transforms ordinary, overlooked, and unseen objects into the extraordinary in her new series, “Everything Glass.” Seemingly simple moments in time are preserved for posterity as Mann skillfully captures the high contrast highlights, shadows, reflections, and transparent brilliance of glass. Whether portraying a vase of flowers, stacked bowls, or assorted silverware, Mann’s compositions are expertly crafted with precise finesse. “We are forced to look, to gaze intently at the usual,” says Mann. “Otherwise you would walk by and never notice.” The solidarity of each focal point draws the viewer in as the lines between photography and painting are blurred. Mann is an award winning artist with work previously featured in American Art Collector and American Artist magazine publications. She is also a Signature Member of the Pastel Society of America and International Guild of Realism.




ten thousand things, Gary Polonsky

Gary Polonsky, Amanita Muscaria, Acrylic and Mixed Media, 10 x 9.5 x 8 in.

In his current exhibition, Gary Polonsky furthers his experimentation with various mixed media to create dynamic three dimensional works. The artist casts a wider net in his new series, transitioning from previous explorations in food and sweet confections to a botanical inspired collection. A vibrant forest floor mushroom extends from soil-covered hands in works like “Amanita Muscaria.” Equipped with a 3D printer, Polonsky says he found a new sense of freedom in his sculptural techniques and utilized a variety of media in his latest work - from styrofoam and balsa wood to traditional canvas surfaces. His show title, “ten thousand things” makes reference to ancient philosopher Lao Tzu’s writings of the innumerable mysteries of the universe and the individual’s role within it. “With the death of my friend and fellow artist Peter Kempson, whom I am honored to show with one last time, a great emphasis has been realized for me to maximize my time [and] my efforts,” says Polonsky. His object - to create art that captures the essence of our time and place with a passionate, unified voice.

Cynthia Alexander, Diane Rudnick Mann, Joan Ransohoff October 30 - November 24, 2012

Opening Reception: Saturday, November 3, 2012, 5-8 p.m.

Cynthia Alexander, Celestial Bodies

After shifting from her artistic beginnings in photography over a decade ago, Cynthia Alexander’s paintings still maintain a photographer’s focus. Fine lines meet large blocks of color as she celebrates the human body in motion. Bold figures of muscular dancers exude an energetic force in her latest exhibition, in which her dynamic acrylic brushstrokes create a pulsating imagery that brings the dancers to life.

Diane Rudnick Mann, New Work

In artist Diane Rudnick Mann’s latest series, she continues to highlight subtleties in her detailed still life compositions. Working with pastels, a medium commonly reserved for loose lines and soft-focus effects, Mann alternatively applies the medium with meticulous intensity. Brilliantly colored crayons, ripe cherries, and unexpected objects pop from the shadows in stark contrast and draw attention to that which may be overlooked in our everyday life.

Joan Ransohoff, The Seasons

In Joan Ransohoff’s latest exhibition, she explores the natural world with keen attention to dynamic seasonal shifts. Whether working en plein air or controlling light and shadow from her studio, Ransohoff’s paintings are a vibrant look at the colorful changes in the natural landscape. Turning leaves, dusky skies, and sweeping clouds from the Idaho aspen forests to the beaches of Cape Cod and the California coast present a luminous look at the beauty of the outdoors.

Interview: Diane Rudnick Mann

Diane Rudnick Mann

Stacked Crayons (detail)

Pastel  25 x 32 inches

How do you decide on the objects that are the subject matter for your work? 

Only on a few occasions have I looked for something specific to paint. It seems objects are everywhere-super markets, things on shelves in my house, magazines, flea markets and in dangerous places such as my refrigerator. They are unexpected things that sing to me. Some work out and some don’t which unfortunately are the ones I spend the most time on. I have a hard time giving up on a painting. Because I work in pastel, there is a limit to how much I can work on a painting. Pastel is usually done on sanded paper and it can only hold so many layers so overworking is not possible which is a good thing in my case.

What attracts you to the object? 

Sometimes the attraction is how difficult it will be to paint. I love color, which is obvious in my work, but it isn’t what attracts me. The challenge is what excites (and terrifies) me. With my work, it either looks like the real object or it doesn’t. I can’t do anything with a “doesn’t”. There are days I wish I could loosen up and paint abstracts but I have no idea how to go there. I’m not sure the objects have stories to tell though there have been some items that I wish I knew the history. I have a collection of very old worn children’s shoes. I try to guess what kind of a child wore them. Were they happy, carefree or troubled. I haven’t painted any of them yet because there is a certain sadness I feel looking at them. After looking at something day after day I usually get attached to the objects-their personalities, not their history

Your type of work is very labor intensive. It is easy to carve out time in your schedule to work? 

I find working in such detail almost meditative. Sometimes I can paint for hours without realizing I’ve been standing for 5+ hours. My main occupation is painting so it is always a priority, followed by getting hair color and other necessities. The rest of the time seems to fall in line.

Diane Rudnick Mann

Bowl of Cherries

Pastel  14 x 17 inches

What is it like getting ready for an exhibition-are there any special considerations required to exhibit pastels? 

I think I am one among many who gets very anxious before a show: about the work-is it good enough or will I be humiliated, will I finish on time, will I be able to talk about my work to people coming into the gallery. Will anyone even like it. I love pastels but you have to be committed to work with it. It is extremely messy but the biggest issues for me is framing a pastel. They have to be framed, with spacers to leave room for any pastel dust that may fall down and they have to be framed with glass or plexi. If uncovered, the pastel can be smudged or wiped off. What is so unsettling is leaving the painting at the framer. Will they keep it covered? Will they always keep it right side up, will they leave pastel dust on the painting? I compare it to leaving a child with a stranger who may or may not be thoughtful or careful. I don’t expect “love”- just a little caring.

What satisfies you most about your work?

Finishing it in a way that it looks as I wanted it to look. And obviously, having someone want to hang my work in their home.

Diane Rudnick Mann's exhibition opens October 30, 2012.

Human-Nature Urban-Suburban New Exhibit at TAG Gallery October 4 - October 29, 2011 Featuring Artists: Carole Garland, Diane Rudnick Mann, Della Rolle, Ellen Starr

Opening Reception: Saturday, October 15, 2011, 5-8 PM
Artist Panel: Saturday, October 22, 2011, 2-3 PM
An Afternoon with Wild Art and Wild Animals: Sunday, October 23, 3-5 pm

In LAyers, Carole Garland’s paintings give us an overview of Los Angeles, city of mirages. They capture both the transitory nature of the marine atmosphere and the permanence of the mountain topography. Fascinated with the natural geometry of the local environs, Garland paints urbanscapes of familiar sites overlooking Culver City, Mulholland, Pacific Palisades and Ocean Park.

Garland’s oil paintings display a city that rests amidst a complex environment. Pink stucco houses, crowded streets and towering palm trees starkly contrast the bold mountains and heavy fog that linger in the distance. The patches of paint which mimic Cezanne’s color block technique diffuse light as it shines through the marine layer shrouding the city.

Everyday Things Come Alive, Diane Rudnick Mann

Diane Rudnick Mann places everyday things in a limitless cosmos: cherries, peppermint candies and vegetables appear as if carved out of dark matter.  Pastels, usually reserved for soft-focus effects and blurry lines, are applied with meticulous intensity and vigor.  Edges of objects alternately cut through the black background leaving crystallized reflections or seep into nothingness, losing contrast as they are pushed out of view.

Stripped of time, place, and function, the minutiae of everyday life become the focus of our attention.  We are forced to look, to gaze intently at the usual, otherwise, as Mann describes, “you would walk by and never notice."

Animalia, Della Rolle

In Anamalia, Della Rolle highlights the odd yet prevalent parallels between human characteristics and animal behavior. Exposed to both wild and domestic animals that live in and around her home in Los Angeles, Della sees remarkable crossovers between her neighbors and her furry friends who live in her backyard. Amused by these similarities, Della captures both humor and beauty in the animals that she sculpts.

Through her bronze and terra cotta sculptures, she reveals the unique personalities of animals such as the Mule Ear Deer Fawn, Cougar Cub, Gray Fox Cub, and Brush Bunny. By associating human mannerisms to animals, the creatures do not only become entertaining but also familiar. Linking human and animal personalities together, Della is satirically commenting on the connectedness of the city, suburban neighborhoods and nearby nature. Whether it is Della’s unique lighthearted view of the world or the fact that humans and animals are related, Anamalia presents a playful view of our society, both two-legged and four-legged.

Vacation Memories, Ellen Starr

Ellen Starr transports us to primitive "vacationscapes". Her Rousseau-inspired foliage provides a glimpse into these untouched locales, like a postcard from an untouched land. From the sands of the Gulf Coast of Florida and the terrains of the Sierras to the shores of Hawaii, these acrylic on canvas paintings beckon a primitive serenity outside the domain of tourism or even humanity.

Starr’s landscapes channel peace within the wild, simplicity within the complexity of nature. The details of organic forms which have become expected of exotic utopias are given new life as Starr revels in the details of silhouettes and their purple shadows, of the crisscross of stems and branches. Through creating idealized replications of her personal memories, Starr creates visual souvenirs of the ultimate escape: a return to nature.

An Afternoon with Wild Art and Wild Animals Charity Event, Event and Silent Auction

The Nature of Wildworks is a nonprofit 501c3 Wildlife Care and Education Center in Topanga, Ca.  It provides lifetime care for over forty non-releasable wild animals that were either injured, orphaned or people’s illegal pets. Wildworks also provides programs to the public and works with the LA school district, working with each school's curriculum, to provide programs to educate and engender respect for wildlife and the environment. The ticket price is $40 per person. Wildworks is a volunteer based organization so the ticket price and the money from the silent auction are donations toward the continuing care of the animals at Wildworks. Sample animals in attendance: a serval, a red-tailed hawk, an owl, foxes, prairie dogs, and opossums. There will be a volunteer with every animal who is there to tell people about the animal and its story. Event is not open to children. October 23rd from 3:00 until 5:00 PM, with the silent auction closing at 4:45 PM. Tickets may be purchased at the door or in advance at: www.natureofwildworks.org

Diane Rudnick Mann Interview

Diane Rudnick Mann 

Cherrie  

27.75 x 32”  pastel

Diane Rudnick Mann continues her focus on The Beauty of Ordinary Objects with her intensely colored pastels.


How do you decide on your lighting and your palette? 

Since my work is defined by very high contrast- shadow and light, I have a very specific way to set up the lighting for my paintings.  My latest series of paintings all have black backgrounds. When I set up what I want to paint it is in front of a black background in a dimly lit room.  I then shine a lamp on the set up so I can see the real highlights and shadows.  My intention is to bring that drama to the painting.

As far as a palette, the objects I use define the color.  An apple will be red, etc.

Diane Rudnick Mann

Radishes

20.5 x 26”  pastel  

Can you describe your process, or take us through the steps involved?

I set up my paintings and then photograph them.  My paintings are usually large so I enlarge the photo to the size I want to paint and then transfer the outline to the paper.  Because I work in pastel I paint from right to left as I’m left handed.  I complete each section as I move across the painting.  After all my years of painting, I still get a thrill watching the painting develop across the paper.

Diane Rudnick Mann

Diane Rudnick Mann's exhibition opens October 4, 2011.

BEST OF TAG Group Exhibition Opens

TAG Gallery was filled with the sound of tape measures snapping and nails being hammered as artists were hard at work installing the BEST OF TAG annual group exhibition which opened on December 28.

First, gallery walls and sculpture pedestals are patched and repainted by TAG Gallery members on the Wall Prep crew led by Gary Polonsky. Polonsky, along with Pat Klowden and Anne Ramis, come in the gallery at the end of every show to make sure that the walls are pristine for the next group of artists to install their work. Even spouses pitch in to help, as was the case in preparing for this exhibition, when new TAG Gallery member Katie Crown brought her husband Guy Webster to help.



“People do not realize that there is a lot of work that goes into getting ready for a show,” says former TAG Gallery president Ellen Starr. “Hanging a big show such as this often takes a lot of people and a couple of days. Sometimes the trickiest part is evaluating where each of the art pieces should be displayed. When we layout the show, we have to consider not only size, but also medium, subject matter, color, and framing. Then, the artwork and walls are measured to be equally spaced and centered on a point close to 60 inches from the floor. A poorly hung show can reflect poorly on the art and exhibition space.”



In addition to the Wall Prep crew, Starr was joined by co-presidents Carol Kleinman and Cheryl Medow, and members Della Rolle, Katherine Kean, Diane Rudnick Mann, Suki Kuss, Joan Vaupen, and Grace Swanson, in setting up the show.






The BEST OF TAG exhibition continues through January 22, 2011 and features a diverse mix of painting, photography, mixed media, printmaking, pastel, sculpture, and fiber art.

A reception to meet the artists will be held Saturday, January 8, from 3 to 6 pm and is open to the public.

New Works by Diane Rudnick Mann, Valerie Nielsen Mendez, Joan Vaupen April 27 - May 22, 2010

TAG Gallery is proud to present new works by Diane Rudnick Mann, Valerie Nielsen Mendez, Joan Vaupen.

April 27 - May 22, 2010

Artists' Reception Saturday May 8, 2010 5 - 8 pm

DIANE MANN

Pastelist Diane Rudnick Mann is showing meticulously rendered still life paintings at TAG Gallery at Bergamot Art Center.

Pencils, jellybeans, pimento-stuffed olives, and rusty old keys are among the unlikely items that have inspired Mann. "I like to paint everyday objects, something you would walk by and never notice," she explains. "As I paint them, they develop personalities and become something you do notice."

One of her secrets to dramatically rendering commonplace objects is to create high-contrast light and shadows. When Mann sets up a still life to be photographed she generally places black boards behind it, then turns off all the lights in the room except for a floor lamp aimed at the arrangement.

Sometimes the artist doesn't realize the potential of her subject matter until she starts photographing it. Take jelly beans, for instance. They caught her eye in the supermarket, so she brought a few bags home and arranged them in various dishes and jars. Only after she'd photographed and cropped the images did she realize that she had the beginnings of a new series and a new way to challenge the commonplace.

As an artist, Mann is a late starter. A class at UCLA titled Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain, opened up a whole new world for her. "It was an overnight transition," she explains, "kind of a miracle." Regarding her choice of pastel, she said, "I love the richness, fullness, and depth of colors," she notes. "I also like the look - a look that oil and watercolor doesn't have. And I like using my hand to sculpt things." In addition to these qualities, Mann likes pastel for the control that it allows the artist.

Born in Massachusetts, Diane Rudnick Mann now lives in Los Angeles. She studied drawing at UCLA and at the Los Angeles Academy of Figurative Art, and has attended workshops with Doug Dawson, Sally Strand, and Gerald Hodges at the Scottsdale Artists' School, in Arizona. Her work has received awards in numerous competitions, and she is a signature member of the Pastel Society of America.


"FINAL WORKS" BY VALERIE NIELSEN MENDEZ

Painter and innovative artist Valerie Nielsen Mendez worked in mixed media, producing images that are both obscured and revealing. She passed away while finishing her last pieces for this exhibit.

Her favorite medium was Plexiglas, painted front and back, sanded, glazed, rubbed, and then layered, one sheet over another, before being attached to a foundation of panel or canvas. The image may be strong and obvious, or essentially obscured by the surface treatment. There are always surprises as the work comes together, and this creates the element of problem solving on multiple levels.

Mendez considered this process akin to navigating life -- we look for clarity, for that "slipping glimpse," that De Kooning referred to, and it's there in places or moments, and then gone again. However, there is a fascination with those times of distraction and obscurity which have their own beauty and worth. These works invite you to take a closer, deeper look at life -- to unveil the meaning of experiences, and to enjoy the process of searching.

This show features two forms of Mendez' artistic interpretation of contemplative communication. One is her traditional use of Plexiglas, and the other is her recent exploration of layers on canvas without the use of Plexi. Her piece "Clear Signs of Life" is one on canvas where she maintained the visual idea of layers through the use of circles.

While some of the paintings in "Final Works" remain unnamed, the omniscient titles of others, like "I can still hear you" and "Conversing with the Infinite" foreshadow the artist's desire to help us all examine what these obscured images reveal for each one of us.


JOAN VAUPEN "ETHEREAL LANDSCAPES"

In Joan Vaupen's new experimental work, she continues pouring and dropping watercolor and acrylic paint in and around the surface of paper, moving it with her hands and fingers.

In a review of Vaupen's previous series, critic Betty Ann Brown commented, "In some of her Moving Paint series, the handsome contrast of liquid pigment recalls the mature work of Helen Frankenthaler. Other examples echo the Northern Lights or the depths of the ocean.

Critic Mac McCloud commented, "Vaupen's work reveals a questing artist's spirit. Some of her most intriguing pieces are experimental solutions of acrylic ink and water color floating in water, where colors swirl, sink and interact in chemical ways producing 'chaotic' and unexpected shapes and tones. Very atmospheric, some are mysterious and dark, others bright and dazzlingly organic in form."

Vaupen has studied hanga (Japanese wood block printing) in Japan with Toshi Yoshida, murals in Mexico at the Instituto Allende, graduate work at the University of Washington and holds a MA in Art from CSULA.

She has exhibited in many galleries in the United States and in Fukuoka and Kitakyushu Japan. Exhibitions in Thailand include Bangkok, Burpha University, and Sangkhla.

TAG Gallery Interviews Diane Rudnick Mann

Pencils Vll Glass Jars
Pastel 26 x 41”
Diane Rudnick Mann

Using mouthwatering color, Diane Rudnick Mann creates trompe l’oeil and photo real images with pastel.

Where did you grow up?

Brookline, Massachusetts.

How long have you been an artist and when did you consider yourself an artist?

Not long. I’d been a marketing person, a writer, a house renovator and also in a retail business. A little here, a little there – I’m pretty much self-taught so it’s hard to tell when I decided I was an artist; some days I don’t feel that I am at all.

Many years ago, when my daughter was in grammar school she had art classes. I went to her school on parent’s night and I was looking around the room and these kid’s drawings were outrageous. They were 9 years old, 10 years old. The teacher said she was teaching a new method called Drawing On the Right Side of the Brain. So, I never forgot that. Later, when I’d moved out here, I was looking through some UCLA catalogues and low and behold I see that they are teaching a Drawing On the Right Side of the Brain course. I’d always wanted to do it, so I went and took the class and it was a life altering experience. Anyone can learn with this method. It got me intrigued. I’ve always wanted to draw, but I was not very good. We did portraits and just worked in pencil. Then I wanted to do something in color, but not oils, because I had no idea how to prepare or mix anything so I thought I’d try pastels. Little did I know…..

I think being in the TAG gallery finally made my work and future very real to me. My brother is my biggest supporter. He had all of my paintings in his office. He would always tell me when people came in and commented on my work, and of course, he would try to sell them.

Where do you your find inspiration for your works? How do you choose your subject matter?

I like old little things that I find in antique stores or drawers or basically any place. I’ve been collecting things and I like to make up settings of objects and photograph them. I keep moving things around and take more photographs. Then I can work parts of the photos into a painting. I actually hate shopping so I tend not to go out hunting a lot. I end up looking around my house and that’s what I end up painting, these common objects that people don’t really look at. I think by painting them I seem to give these things a kind of a personality.


Jelly Beans ll
Pastel 16 x 14”
Diane Rudnick Mann

Can you name a few of the most important (to you) artists whose work you like?

Even before I started drawing these artists fascinated me…Robert Bechtle, Richard Estes, Charles Bell. I’d look at their work and think how is that possible? Ben Schonzeit, Audrey Flack, Alice Neel, Paula Rego, Balthus, Eric Fischl, Ralph Goings and that whole group of realists including Charles Scheeler and, George Tooker. And I also find the work from the deco period very interesting - I was always drawn to this type of work. I was never drawn to things like a large blue canvas with one white dot in the corner. They remind me of the Emperor’s new clothes. Realism, though difficult, was the work I wanted to do.

Why do you make art? Does art serve a function beyond decorating walls?

I think paintings can really mean something; they can evoke certain emotions in a person.

I used to find a lot of things on EBay. I’d find old keys and all kinds of junk. They had these christening dresses. I bought a few of them. Where I lived before I had an old pine cabinet and I hung one of the dresses from the cabinet, I put some things on the top, I took a lot of photographs and made a painting from that. It was the first painting I ever sold. I don’t know what it was about it, but it sang to everybody and the people who bought it wouldn’t ever part with it. They just love it. I don’t respond that way to all my paintings, nor would everybody else but there are certain things I think that people relate to.

What is the hardest thing about being an artist?

Insecurity. It’s one of the artist’s dangers. It stops me every time. It’s similar to the process of writing. Once I get started though you can’t get me away. In the middle of the night I get up and turn on the light and think of something I should have done. I go to the easel and stand there and it’ll be 4:30 am before I’m done.

I think all creative people are insecure. I think it just comes with the territory. So, I question everything and I think that makes it hard. But even when it’s good sometimes I can’t see it. Sometimes the best thing to do is to put it away for a week, then it’s really obvious what needs to be done.

What do you like most about being an artist?

No matter how many paintings I’ve done I am completely amazed and blown away when the painting develops. I work right to left since I’m left handed and with pastel you’ve got to go one way or the other. It never ceases to amaze me, as the image starts to crawl across the paper, and the painting develops. I just feel in awe of that. I think it’s a control thing working as a realist painter. I also think I’m afraid of broadening out a little and loosening up. I’m very, very specific about what I’m doing and I can’t let go of it unless it’s right. Because of the way I work that’s so precise, if it’s off a hair, it’s off.

I’d like to try oil – to try something with a brush and see how it goes.


Diane Rudnick Mann

Diane Rudnick Mann's exhibition at TAG Gallery opens April 27, 2010.