Today we’d like to introduce you to Diane Ayott.
Diane, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
I was born this way. I have been making marks with intensity since I can remember and my interests were all in the creative areas. As a young adult I made a serious commitment to drawing and painting, and this commitment is happily, on-going.
Color, pattern, repetition, touch and mark-making offer so much to me in my meditative studio practice. The studio is a kind of sacred space in my life.
Can you give our readers some background on your art?
My work is informed by both contemporary and modernist painting. I use acrylic paint as well as various collage materials on paper, panel and canvas. I explore pattern and repetition, not for the sake of pattern and repetition but for the dream-like experience it offers me. This meditative process sets up spatial relationships, where color vibrations emerge. Slowly and over time, the overall begins to arrive from the accrual of sweet spots along the way. As visual information multiplies in my work I come to understand what is emerging.
The work involves an intimate conversation with the materiality of the collaged “stuff” and the paint. Various tools are used to apply paint and mediums to the surfaces. Somewhere in the process of making, the skewed nature of the geometry dips into the awkward. That is when it becomes most alive and the shape of the complexity emerges… My focus in that territory is one of complete attention. Each piece develops over long periods of time, both in the process and in the seeing.
The individual clarity, which results from the making of each painting, is surprisingly factual. Once completed, each painting seems to me like it had already existed, its identity expressed in full.
What would you recommend to an artist new to the city, or to art, in terms of meeting and connecting with other artists and creatives?
When one works alone in a studio, it can sometimes feel lonely. I would imagine that is especially true if you are not working with people in other ways.
Artists need to have some creative community, even if it is a small group. We don’t make all this stuff out of the head of Zeus! We need context! We require feedback.
There are so many ways to connect with other artists. Among them are: attending gallery receptions and open studios, and connecting online via Facebook or Instagram.
What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
People can see my work at:
The Trident Gallery in Gloucester, MA and sometimes, at the Clark Gallery in Lincoln, MA and at Kathryn Markel Fine Arts in NYC. Each of these galleries have websites and viewing online can be very helpful.
My works can be purchased through those galleries at any time. There doesn’t have to be an exhibit in order to view my work at any time. An appointment can be scheduled to allow one to view the work in person, which is the best way to see art.
For an overall look at my body of work go to: www.dianeayott.com
Contact Info:
- Address: Studio Address:
2 Margin Street, second floor
Salem, MA 01970 - Website: www.dianeayott.com
- Email: diane@dianeayott.com
- Instagram: you can find me on Instagram through my name
- Facebook: you can find me on FB through my name
2017; mixed media on paper; 30 x 22 in.
2017; mixed media on paper; 30 x 22 in.
Image Credit:
First image (red) – Those in Time, 2018, acrylic on paper, 44 X 18″
Photo credit: KevinLucey
Second image – Full Attention, 2017, acrylic on paper, 30 X 23″
Photo credit: Trident Gallery
Third image – Pushing Luck, 2017, acrylic on paper, 30 X 23″
Photo credit: Trident Gallery
Photo of artist
Photo credit: me, selfie
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