DIANE LOVE X MONET
Remaining true to the rich history of Paris became our biggest challenge for this project.
We wanted to elevate the design yet bring a sense of familiarity to the Parisian heritage of art.
Diane Love delicately weaved the archetypal expressionism of Monet into her work,
creating contemporary elegance and the perfect transition between something old and something new.
Interview with Diane Love
Q1 Diane, you have a long history of working with many types of medium, what is it that particularly draws you to the use of collage/ mixed media?
Diane: It's the outcome of working many many years in different mediums and I realised that assembling pieces of a different mediums, materials and colours is very much my wheelhouse, what's most comfortable. This is my aesthetic signature. This is my way of self-expression. And everyone has an aesthetic signature, It's like your fingerprint.
Q2 Do you have a process of planning the composition of your pieces in advance or do they evolve as you go?
Diane: I always I think the most difficult thing for many artists is a blank canvas. So I always try to get something down just to get myself going. It's just how you're feeling that day. Is it a colour? Is it a stroke, a gesture? It varies, but it invariably keeps transforming. I think it's really dangerous for an artist to feel they have to follow rules. The whole process is to trust your instinct.
Q3 Have you spent much time in Paris yourself Diane? Did this reflect in the pieces at all?
Diane: The first time I went to Paris was with my parents when I was 9 years old. I love Paris and I never come to Europe without also stopping in Paris. I was delighted to be asked to work on this project because it related deeply to my interests. I've looked at countless paintings by Monet in various museums and special exhibits and so forth. I'm an art historian and very aware of his work of his life story.
Q4 How does the colour palette of Monet’s work relate to your own palette, did it feel challenging to marry the two together?
Diane: This project was a little different to how I normally work. I started first with Monet's work, with fragments of his compositions. I had to consider how I could reflect Monet's sensibility and not diminish his work by including it in a contemporary piece. It was a bit of a challenge because I have such high regard for Monet, his talent and originality. So I had to be very mindful, respecting him, his work.
Q5 What do you hope your pieces will convey to the viewer, in 3 words?
Diane: ... Whatever they see.
More of Diane’s work can be explored at:
www.dianelove.com
