DIANA WARE COLLINS
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Diana Ware Collins is a San Francisco Bay Area artist and art docent. Diana's affinity & talent for drawing and painting was apparent at a very early age. Noticing her ability, Diana's mother enrolled her in art lessons at the Cincinnati Art Museum at age 5.
After moving on to oils at age 11, she qualified at 13 for a college-level drawing program at the University of Miami (Florida), where she later majored in painting and commercial art. She was awarded “most talented freshman” by the chair of the art department and graduated with a bachelor of arts.
A resident of Silicon Valley during the computer graphics revolution in the late 70’s, Diana expanded her repertoire to computer graphics and applied art. In 1997 her computer art was selected for the Los Altos Library Digital Art Exhibition (online) sponsored by Adobe Systems and Foothill College.
Diana is a long-time member of the Los Altos Art Club and the Los Altos Art Docents. The latter began as a way to help ensure her granddaughters’ exposure to art education and practice, but 11 years later she continues to assist young artists in the Los Altos School District.
Diana’s art renaissance flourished after retirement. Denied the time to paint her own children, she embarked on her goal of completing portraits of her five grandchildren.
“As a child, I was impressed with my art teacher’s numerous portraits of her children. Motivated and inspired, I vowed to do the same when I had my own children. Unfortunately, the priorities of a young family that moved every year, and later the demands of being a single working mom, left me no time for studio work. Fortunately, I was able to find outlets along the way by making posters for community groups, PTAs, and even grocery store windows. Finally, after all those years working to support my family, I am creating the art I have dreamed of. I am now making up for lost time.”
After maximizing the portrait œuvre, she expanded to painting landscapes from photographs taken while hiking in the Sierras and Europe. Diana exhibits at local art shows and has won many honors at local art exhibitions for her portraits, still lifes and landscapes. She is available for portrait work in acrylics, colored pencil, and watercolor.