Diane Dunn’s work brings together color, texture, layering, and a lively sense of discovery. After exploring photography, watercolor, acrylic, and oil painting, Diane found a natural home in mixed media collage, where paper, paint, and layered surfaces allow her to build compositions with depth and energy. She also creates monoprints, using layering and masking to develop engaging visual effects.
Across her work, Diane is drawn to moments that spark an emotional response. Whether she is working with florals, birds, animals, or abstract forms, her process is rooted in curiosity and the expressive possibilities of combining media.
1. Finding the Inspiration
The inspiration for this piece, Midnight Garden, began with a photograph Diane took of a late summer garden in full bloom.
She was drawn to the bands of color moving back into the distance: bright yellows, coral pinks, oranges, greens, and deep shadowed areas that gave the garden both abundance and depth.
2. Starting with Watercolor
Diane first translated the garden into watercolor, using the photograph as a starting point for color and composition.
The painting captured the energy of the garden, but the color felt more saturated than she wanted at this stage.
3. Letting the Painting Shift
Diane then used running water to tone down the color and loosen the surface, drawing on her experience with creating abstract marks.
As the saturated areas softened, the image shifted into a more atmospheric foundation, leaving stains, blooms, and unexpected passages that opened a new direction for the work.
4. Arriving at the Final Work
From there, Diane began adding contrast and detail, responding to the shapes and color relationships that remained after the rinse. The garden became less literal and more expressive, with areas of light, dark, and color beginning to suggest movement through the space.
To give the piece more structure and energy, Diane introduced collage elements, including transparent tissue and black paper. The transparent layers allowed the watercolor to show through, while the darker shapes added contrast, rhythm, and visual tension.
The finished collage transforms the original garden scene into something more interpretive. In Midnight Garden, color, shadow, and paper come together to suggest the richness of a summer garden after dark, with the original watercolor still glowing beneath the surface.
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