Diane Dauz Bassin

 

My journey in painting started in oils  40+ years ago, but I soon discovered Batik Painting as a unique art form in the 1970's.  My teacher of this ancient art form, that involves a long process of dyeing and waxing cottons and silks, was an artist who pioneered Batik as a fine art in India in the 1950's and 60's.  This art form proved to be  unique and challenging for me for many years.

I began a career in early childhood education about 35 years ago, and brought my love of art into the classrooms of 3 and 4 yr. olds.  At the same time, my art was evolving.  Batik painting was replaced by acrylic collage painting, where I  explored the play of materials, fibers, photos, and silks with paint. The process of layering and textures was somewhat like the challenging layerings of batik, but with the added element of achieving surprisingly unique textural effects.

A career of of teaching art to children has continually inspired me to be more adventurous with my own art process, and so I find my style evolving once again.  When teaching children,  my favorite expression has always been  "let's see what magic happens if.....".   

Living and working in NYC  and spending summers in Westerly, Rhode Island,  I am inspired by both urban and seaside environments.  My paintings are visions of images  I see or feel in my surroundings and  my dreams.

   2018