Systematic Devotion

I will be showing four paintings in Philadelphia at Crane Arts, opening April 11th, in an exhibition entitled "Systematic Devotion."  Independent curators John Edwin Margraff II and Candace Karch selected six artists whose work communicates method, placement, and discipline in the world.  Four of the six artists exhibiting in "Systematic Devotion" are from Santa Fe: myself, Madelin Coit, Jennifer Joseph and Chris Collins.  We all used to show with John when he lived in Santa Fe and operated Salon Margraff, a unique venue showing art and featuring exquisite meals (John is also a chef).  Two mixed-media artists from Philadelphia, Joseph Leroux and Ken Derengowski, are also included in this exhibition. There will be an opening reception on April 11th from 6 to 9:30pm.  The show will be up through April 27th.  Please visit Crane Arts for more information and directions.

Shimmering Air, oil on canvas, 18 x 18 inches, © 2011 Diane McGregor

PS - I was born in Philadelphia, so this is an extra special exhibition for me!

Las Cruces Museum Installation

Below are shots of the installation of my work in Elemental New Mexico: The Desert in Form and Essence,  which will be showing at the Las Cruces Museum of Art until April 6th.  The sculpture in the foreground is by Brian Kluge.

Elemental New Mexico

Next Friday evening, February 1st, "Elemental New Mexico: The Desert in Form and Essence," opens at the Las Cruces Museum of Art, in Las Cruces, New Mexico. I am honored to be joined by such esteemed artists.  The show was curated by Joy Miller, Exhibitions Curator at the museum.  Photography, paintings, and sculptures will be displayed.  I will be giving an informal talk regarding my work on Saturday, February 2nd at 1pm.  I hope you can join us for the opening reception on Friday, or for my talk on Saturday.

Natural Order

Experience shows that individual mandalas are symbols of order and that they occur in patients principally during times of psychic disorientation or re-orientation.  As magic circles they bind and subdue the lawless powers belonging to the world of darkness, and depict or create an order that transforms chaos into a cosmos.  ~ Jung

 

Cosmos, oil on canvas, 32 x 32 inches, © 2012 Diane McGregor

When I Am Among the Trees

by Mary Oliver

When I am among the trees,

especially the willows and the honey locust,

equally the beech, the oaks and the pines,

they give off such hints of gladness.

I would almost say that they save me, daily.

I am so distant from the hope of myself,

in which I have goodness, and discernment,

and never hurry through the world

but walk slowly, and bow often.

Around me the trees stir in their leaves

and call out, "Stay while."

The light flows from their branches.

And they call again, "It's simple," they say,

"and you too have come

into the world to do this, to go easy, to be filled

with light, and to shine."

Process

"The working process and existence merge and there is no separation between life and work and the ultimate natural force of existence."  ~ Max Cole

Cosmos, oil on canvas, 32x32 inches, in progress

This is my latest painting, Cosmos, in progress.  My process begins with a heavily worked underpainting, a detail shown below:

Detail of Cosmos, work in progress

After I am satisfied with the underpainting, I begin to add titanium white oil paint over the prepared underpainting, using a dry brush technique.  I start from the upper left and continue until I reach the last block of the grid on the lower right.

 Detail of Cosmos, in progress

Although this process is extremely labor-intensive, I enjoy the meditative quality of my actions, and hope that the stillness and quiet of the white grid can soothe and calm the viewer as much as it does for me.  As winter descends on us here in the Sangre de Cristo mountains near Santa Fe, I am reminded of the purity of snow falling, steadily covering everything with a soft veil of white.