Yes, Another Custom Pet Portrait!

Here it is folks, almost fall, and I’m very, very busy! The virus is “back” but things still move forward. Things started opening up, and I got busy: doing pet portraits, cityscapes and, as you saw in my last post, even exhibiting at new locations! In the photo above I am hard at work put in the details on my last custom pet portrait for one of my favorite and best collectors. It is a rendition of her late, beloved dog, Willow. The painting is entitled “Willow the Mastiff” is 12″x12″ and acrylic. Below is the final product.

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Of course, anyone of you (or even your friends!) who would like a pet portrait, I am happy to oblige. They make great gifts… In the meantime, I am getting ready for more exhibits. I will be showing at Westminster Oaks retirement home in Tallahassee with a solo show entitled “Diane Dyal Follows the Painted Path” during October, November and December. And, I am happy to say, I will also be back at Feeling Art Collective in the month of December. This venue is in Railroad Square Art Park and I am hoping…hoping…for a good crowd for the holidays (yes, folks, gotta prepare for the holidays now!). So, stay healthy and safe and support your local artists wherever you live!

Fab First Friday!

Had a great time last Friday at Railroad Square Art Park in Tallahassee. As I announced last month, I am exhibiting my acrylic paintings at TWO galleries in Railroad Square for the month of August. People were being careful…social distancing…because of the “reoccurrence” of this stupid virus. Just FYI, in Tallahassee, the first Friday of each month is used as a time to celebrate and socialize with all the art galleries open at night as opposed to just their daytime hours. This is called “First Friday” and it’s great fun in Railroad Square.

I am proud to say I participated in the 621 Gallery Members Show with two pieces selected for this excellent, diverse exhibit. I am posing in the photos below, with Art Zone (a cityscape of Gadsden Arts building) and Destination Tally No. 2 (the iconic Greyhound Station). Also shown are a couple of “art friends” pieces: Anna McBride (green abstract with Sophia) and Ann Kozeliski (Portrait of a Woman). Always fortunate to be a part of the art scene in town.

And I am also very pleased to be included at Feeling Art Collective, curated by Anna who posed with me here with my framed cityscape studies of local images. In addition to all this self-promotion, I am including some interesting shots I took as I meandered around the square when not posing with paintings! Hopefully you can see by my iPhone photography, the night was quite festive with creativity flowing!!!

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If you’re interested in coming to Railroad Square Art Park to view my art, and the art by other great local artists, here’s the necessary info below. And again, stay safe but have fun!

Feeling Art
694 Industrial Drive
Tallahassee
Thurs. – Fri. 2:00 – 6:00 pm
Sat. – Sun. 12 noon – 6:00 pm
(times are approximate)

621 Gallery
621 Industrial Drive
Tallahassee
Thurs. – Sun. 1:00 – 5:00 pm

Now Appearing in Railroad Square!

Yes, I am going to be exhibiting in Railroad Square Art Park next month!!! Although I have exhibited in RR Square before (specifically at 621 Gallery) I have a new venue to exhibit at on an on-going basis and I will also be showing at 621 again for their Annual Membership Exhibit. Anyway…as far as this new venue goes, it is called Feeling Art Collective and is a great spot in Tallahassee’s art district with several artists exhibiting as well as studio space for classes and workshops. I will be showing and selling some of my cityscapes as well as my hand-made greeting cards. Hope to see you there! The address is 694 Industrial Drive, Tallahassee. My “debut” at Feeling Art is First Friday, August 6, 2021 from 6 pm to 10 pm. First Friday is finally back after being shut down for over a year, so come down and join the fun!

Special Exhibit at City Hall

News…late…but news. I have a painting in the City Commissioners’ Main Conference Room at Tallahassee City Hall! This was a special honor I was chosen for (along with several other artists) after having participated in the Tallahassee Proud exhibit that COCA put on in the City Hall Gallery in 2020. My painting, Goodies Eatery, is a rendition of a popular lunch spot downtown and will be shown there until August, 2021.

More news…recent news: I have bought a tripod! I am getting on the bandwagon of video taping my art-related goings-on and I hope you enjoy my videos. I am new at this and having fun with it. I am including two videos here, that I have posted on my YouTube channel (if you chose to subscribe: Diane Dyal Paintings). The first one is an interview with me, talking about my painting, Goodies Eatery, that was chosen for the special annual exhibit. And the second, a perusal of the other art in the conference room showing the talent that Tallahassee has to chose from for its many shows and exhibits that the locals have to participate in…including me!

Diane Dyal’s Painting in Special Exhibit at City Hall

Special Art Exhibit at Tallahassee City Hall

May Showers Bring…?!?

Apalachicola Arsenal Smithsonian’s Museum “Water Ways” Exhibit

Showers. Rain drops. Water drops… It’s May and it’s raining on my African Violets! Well, anyway, this upcoming exhibit that I’m participating in is called “Water Ways” and anything water-related will be included. Being a part of this exhibit means being included in a historical experience which stresses human creativity and resourcefulness that provide new ways of protecting water resources and renewing respect for the natural environment.

I have just started to work on my entry which is an acrylic painting on the provided wooden water/rain drop that will be on display in the Apalachicola Arsenal Museum and available for auction. The subject matter is African Violets (that I have painted before and thought would make a good application to this piece) which have a water drop prominently placed on one of the leaves.

This symbolizes to me the natural way life sustains itself, despite man’s so-called help or even interference, and “pulls through” naturally and ultimately. I believe we as people, as a part of nature, can learn from the rain cycles and survive and perhaps triumph naturally. This gives me great respect for nature, whether it be water or man.

I’ll keep you updated on this exhibit and include a photo of the finished rain drop painting. The deadline is July 31st so I have a bit of time, so in the meantime, stay safe and stay tuned!

Good Subject…Good Friend…

Creative Tallahassee Comes Around Again

Foto Friend, 9″x12″, Acrylic on Paper, (c) 2019

Yes, Creative Tallahassee comes around again. This is COCA’s (Council on Culture and Arts where I have an Artist’s Listing) juried exhibit that happens once a year and the exhibit is held at City Hall Gallery in Tallahassee. This year, as it was last year as well, it will appear online in addition to in the gallery. I entered three pieces in this local competition: Foto Friend (above), Scooterville and Morning Routine. The painting Foto Friend is one I did for my photographer friend Bob O’Lary. He enjoyed my style of free-spirited painting and asked me to do a portrait of him. I felt he was a good subject and I happily agreed. Bob is an excellent local photographer and a PhotoShop pro. I am fortunate to have had him take a portrait of me. I am including a link to his website so you can peruse his work: www.olary.com. Bob has a studio in Railroad Square Art Park called Foto.

Another link I would like to include is the one to the online exhibit for Creative Tallahassee. I was included in this exhibit last year and then COCA expressed interest in my work and also asked me to participate in Tallahassee Proud, which was also in the City Hall Gallery. I had three pieces in this exhibit, one of them being Goodies Eatery, which I am “proud” to say was also chosen for an additional distinction of being part of the City Commissioners’ Main Conference Room Annual Exhibit in Tallahassee.

The link for Creative Tallahassee is: Creative Tallahassee 2021. Thanks for being a part of my blog/website. Tell your friends to sign up for my posts and support a local artist. Thanks folks and stay safe!

Cats and Art in Motion

I have gotten a little more creative lately and made a video for my latest exhibit at Fat Cat Cafe, thus the title of the blog: Cats and Art in Motion. I am pleased with the way it came out, since I have not done a video in years. Thanks to my good friend, Heather Lanham, for not only attending the exhibit but filming this fun video for me. I hope you enjoy it.

I am pleased that the folks at Fat Cat Cafe for haven given me the opportunity to show my art at their venue. It is a good opportunity for me not only because I do get to exhibit and a portion of any sales goes to support the cats, it is one of the very few places to show because of the virus. Thanks to Michelle!

I have also included some still photographs of the exhibit, my opening so-to-speak, where the cats and people are playing as well as viewing my art which includes still lifes, cat paintings and cityscapes. Please come to Fat Cat if you are in the area and check it out in the month of April. It is on East Park Avenue in Tallahassee next to Venvi Gallery. Thanks folks and stay safe!

Art Exhibit at Fat Cat Cafe

My Very Own “Fat Cat” and My Solo Exhibit: Art Therapy Meets Cat Therapy

My cat Stripedie (aka “Stripes”) and baby Oliver

I am happy to announce I am having a solo art exhibit at Fat Cat Cafe in Tallahassee in the month of April, 2021. Despite this crazy virus, there will be people allowed at the venue with limited capacity. The exhibit takes place in the Cuddle Room where the cute little kittens roam freely and play. You can go to view my brightly-colored acrylic paintings and perhaps buy one with part of the proceeds going to the cats, or maybe even adopt a fur-ever friend! Pictured above are my cats: Stripedie, 10 years old (my very own “fat cat”), and my most recent addition (this was when he first arrived off the streets) Oliver, now 2 years old. Shown below is the painting I am using to promote the exhibit “Cat Battle No. 2.” Yes, number two. I have done this painting three times! The first being Cat Battle Study, a practice version. Then Cat Battle, a square 20″x20″ that I eventually was not that pleased with in retrospect. So…I did it yet again…Cat Battle No. 2, 18″x24″, acrylic, 2021…and here it is:

The exhibit, Art Therapy Meets Cat Therapy, is based on the idea that my art is therapy to me since it brings me a sense of well being and in addition to that; being at Fat Cat Cafe is also therapy, cat therapy, where the soft jazz music, comfy furniture and playing and purring kitties all provide a calming, soothing, therapeutic effect. Please come to my exhibit and support local art as well as the cats, if you are in the Tallahassee area.

Art Therapy Meets Cat Therapy
An Exhibit of Paintings by Diane Dyal
Fat Cat Cafe
2901 East Park Avenue #2600
Tallahassee, FL 32311
fatcatcafetally@gmail.com
Saturday, April 3 to Saturday, May 1
Wednesday to Sunday 12 noon to 6 pm

Thanks folks and stay safe! Stay tuned for more coming soon, with Spring here there is so much going on it the art world and I hope to keep you posted…

Happy Anniversary and Two Gray Cats

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Minu the Teenage Kitten Number Two
(painted 2012, sold March 2016)

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Maximus
(painted 2020, sold December 2020)

Happy Anniversary to me!!! It was exactly five years ago today I wrote my first blog post! EXACTLY (yes, I checked the archives which you can, too…they’re in the blog menu…) I must say it’s been a lot of fun. First of all many, many thanks to my good friend Lexxi for helping me set up (or should I say for setting up) the site. Although it is a user-friendly program she is experienced in Digital Marketing and it was very easy for her. She taught me what to do after she left me on my own which was very important and I’ve learned more over the years and strived to improve the website portion as well as the blog posts.

Now a bit about content: Two Gray Cats. Yes, coincidently, the post on March 7, 2016 was a gray cat named Minu and the post that is being mentioned today March 7, 2021 (two posts ago) contains the painting of Maximus, another gray cat. There is a little difference to the way the paintings were approached, though. The portrait of Minu was inspired, that is, I thought she was an interesting cat that would make a good painting and the portrait of Maximus was a commission from a friend she was using as a gift.

So folks, please wish me a happy anniversary, stay safe with this crazy virus, and stay posted as I wish to keep you informed of my art-related goings-on for at least five more years!!!

Something Completely Different…

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Hello folks! It’s now March and there’s something new coming up for me and the other artists in AHA. I would like to take this opportunity to explain AHA Tallahassee a bit. This is an acronym that stands for Artists Helping Artists, started by my artist friend Ann Kozeliski and some other friends of hers. It is, as it states, artists helping artists…which could be in many ways…such as organizing art exhibits.

This opportunity coming up for AHA members that I am writing about is a Doll Show! It is not your typical doll show where you might think it is all fancy porcelain dolls with frilly dresses. It is open to any type of doll (created, not store-bought), both conventional and otherwise. And my entry into this exhibit fits into the “otherwise” category. It is a PAINTING of a doll, not a 3-D doll.

Shown above is the doll that was used as the subject matter. It was a gift from my friend in Panacea, where I lived several years ago. And below is my doll painting. It is entitled “Dolly Doll Painting”, 11″x14″ and acrylic. If you would like to view the show in person, it is coming up at Jefferson Arts in Monticello, FL from Saturday, May 8, 2021 to Saturday, June 5. More on this to come. Stay safe folks and keep posted!

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