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It's Not Really About the Teacups
It's Not Really About the Teacups

People often look at my work and see flowers, teacups, sunlight, and quiet domestic moments. But they are not actually...

It's Not Really About the Teacups
It's Not Really About the Teacups
People often look at my work and see flowers, teacups, sunlight, and quiet domestic moments. But they are not actually what the paintings are about.

Welcome to The Sound of Color

Welcome to The Sound of Color

Welcome to The Sound of Color

An introduction from the studio

Thank you for being here, and for subscribing to read my thoughts and never miss a new painting. It means more than you know.

"I feel the thrill of a new beginning."

I've been painting for over 50 years, and that feeling never gets old. The mix of anticipation and gratitude, the creation is about to be born. A fresh canvas that I will mark as much or as little as I want. Start. Stop.

That's exactly what this blog is about.

Welcome to The Sound of Color, a space where I'll invite you into my studio, my process, and the stories behind the work. Whether you're a longtime collector, a fellow artist, or someone who simply loves beautiful things, I'm glad you're here.

My name is Diane Hawley. I'm a fine art painter working in oils, watercolor, and mixed media, splitting my time between Columbus, Ohio and Boca Raton, Florida. I paint subjects that are straightforward. Still. So still that when you stand and look at one of my paintings, I hope a narrative fills your mind, one that is stimulated by color, form, composition, and scale. It's the scale that makes it so intimate. The colors delight.

My journey began at 15, when a landscape I painted was purchased at an exhibition in Montréal by a Member of Parliament. I've been painting and showing ever since. A creative arts degree from Champlain College in painting and studio art, followed by my BFA from Concordia University in Montréal, and beyond, this life in art has been everything I hoped it would be and more.

Here I'll share new work fresh from the studio, behind-the-scenes glimpses of paintings in progress, and thoughts on color, light, and what it means to make something from nothing. I'll talk about exhibitions, commissions, and the collectors whose walls I'm honored to hang on.

I'm also on TikTok Live, painting in real time and sharing the process as it happens. Come find me there too.

For now, welcome. pull up a chair. The paint is wet, so be careful.

All my Love,

 Diane

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The Joy of Original Art

It Lives With You

An original painting is not only ornamental, it is alive. It entwines with your life as it lives in your space. It reminds, reflects, and grounds. There is an energy in original art that interacts with the viewer in ways no reproduction can replicate. When I paint, I am putting my intent into the work. As a collector, you are curating the mood of your home or space, and that is a powerful choice. One that says something about who you are and how you want to live.

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One of a Kind, Like You

Every original carries something that cannot be duplicated. The texture of paint on canvas, the mark of the artist's hand, the energy of the moment it was created. The oil, the linen, the wood frame, these are living materials that age and settle into your space alongside you. When you own an original, you own something that exists nowhere else on earth. It is entirely, uniquely yours.

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An Investment in Beauty

Original art holds its value in ways that go beyond the financial. It anchors a room, sparks conversation, and reminds you every single day that beauty is worth making space for. But more than anything, collecting original art is an investment in yourself. In your environment, your joy, and the life you are choosing to create. It tells a story about your values.

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The Time Within the Work

When I paint, inspiration arrives in its own time. Sometimes it downloads in an intuitive flash. Sometimes something stops me in my tracks and I have to capture it. Then it waits. Often a year passes before an idea finds its way onto the canvas. I carry a lifetime of images that want to be born.

When I finally begin, I study the palette, refine my choices, consider the composition carefully, and sit with it. Every stage matters. If any one of them is rushed, the painting will never settle with ease for the viewer.

And then, finally, I paint. The joy it gives me is beyond words. If there is anything I want from having my work collected, it is this: that my paintings please you in a way that endures.

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