About the Artist
Diane M. Ford
Bethesda, Maryland, USA
Ms. Ford is a lifelong resident of Bethesda, Maryland, an idyllic suburban retreat just outside Washington, DC. Growing up near picturesque Rock Creek Park, she was influenced at an early age by the beauty and serenity of nature, and most especially by the teeming avian life she found there.
From age 7, Ms. Ford was an avid naturalist artist, scouring favorite books and magazines such as National Wildlife, Ranger Rick, Audubon and National Geographic for potential subjects. Taking dozens of art sheets, she would freehand pictures over and over again until a lion looked like a lion and an antelope like an antelope. She says her parents encouraged her from an early age to pursue this passion and in the early 70s spent many summers with them along the Chesapeake Bay exploring marshes, crabbing, fishing and observing wildlife.
By the fifth grade, her teacher steered her toward bird watching, and sketching, and shared with her for the first time John James Audubon's “Birds of America.” According to Ms. Ford, it was a transforming moment. She was awed by the paintings and the variety of bird life, and quickly acquired her first field guide, “Guide to the Birds of North America” by Arthur Singer. By the sixth grade, she had won her first artistic award, “School Artist of the Year.”
Attending Walter Johnson High School, Ms. Ford broadened her artistic repertoire, branching out to pencil, charcoal and acrylic painting. At this time, she was taught figurative sketching, which captures moving figures in various stages of motion. In addition to using models in studios, she also turned her attention to wildlife, observing various animals in their natural habitats, taking quick, mental “pictures” and then translating them onto paper. She supplemented her formal education by volunteering at a local nature center, gaining experience in the care of wildlife working side-by-side with senior naturalists and producing a growing list of subject material, including hawks, owls, ducks and raccoons.
About the time she started college, Ms. Ford began working in oils, fashioning her unique style after the many artists she admired, including Georgia O’Keefe, Mary Cassatt, the Wyeths’, Winslow Homer and Monet. She says Salvadore Dali, Robert Bateman, Bob Kuhn, Ken Carlson, Anne Faust, Rembrandt, and Vermeer also influenced her. Bird carvers Floyd Scholz (Vermont Raptor Academy), Pat Godin (Wildfowl Carving) and Gary Eigenberger (Birds and Raptors) were additionally influential on her art style.
Ms. Ford has exhibited at numerous area festivals and has donated several pieces of art for charitable causes. Her work has also been displayed at local art shops. In 2004, she became interested in the art of papier-mâché, and recently finished a Bald Eagle sculpture for the Kensington-Parkwood elementary school. Over the course of 23 years, she has developed 61 sketchbooks for a prolific total of more than 27,450 sketches.
Other Personal Items
Ms. Ford is married and the mother of one son. In addition to artistic pursuits,
her other eclectic interests include classic cars, auto restoration and stock
and drag car racing. In the early 80s, during a hiatus from her art development,
she “souped-up" a 1972 Buick and went racing at local tracks. During
that time she also developed another artistic talent by working as a reporter
for the Quick Times Racing News, an experience she looks back on with great
fondness.
The photo above is "KP Eagle", a commissioned work Diane created for Kensington Parkwood Elementary School in 2004.
Here is 'KP Eagle" in his new display case at Kensington Parkwood Elementary. Diane created 'KP Eagle as a commissioned work. Pieter Boogaerts, a KP parent who is a cabinet maker and carpenter, made the display case, donating time and materials.
