by North Dundas Arts Council (NDAC)
American author, Joseph Chilton Pearce, famous for his groundbreaking book, Magical Child, said it best: “To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong.” And local Artist Diane Munro has embraced that advice on her journey as an Artist.
Diane grew up on a farm outside of Winchester, in the Melvin Settlement. Her aunt was an Artist and her father expressed his own considerable creative talents as a fine carpenter, building their home and almost all the furniture in it – including his children’s wooden toys!
In high school, Diane did well in art class, but didn’t explore that love until later in life. In 2004 she dove in, wondering if her passion was actually good enough to pursue. She joined a local art class given by Joan Hopkins, in Chesterville, and that’s when the magic began.
“Painting was relaxing, and a joy for me,” she says. “It transported me to another world without all of the stress or problems of my busy life.” At that time, Diane was working full-time at the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, in Ottawa. She credits her colleagues with being instrumental in encouraging her to keep painting and buying her art.
She still enjoys painting portraits in both oil and acrylics, and has completed a few soft pastel commissions. “I love doing commissioned work. It’s the most rewarding of all. The satisfaction of seeing and hearing the compliments from my customers is so rewarding,” she adds.
A lifelong learner, Diane has been studying different creative techniques with the Acrylic University, and with Milan Art which focuses on abstract art. She is a member of the Federation of Canadian Artists, and her works can be seen on her Facebook page, Art by the hand of Diane. Her dream is to enter her paintings in top exhibits, someday, and she encourages other would-be Artists with some wise advice of her own: “Everyone should consider playing around with art at some point in their life, as you never know what you might create. You may surprise yourself!”
Diane Munro’s art will be on exhibit at Winchester Library through September, as part of SD&G Library and NDAC’s ‘Art In The Branches’ series. Winchester Library is located at 547 St. Lawrence Street in downtown Winchester, ON, and is open Monday to Saturday at variable hours. For more information about this free program, open to all North Dundas resident Artists, please contact Ann at northdundasartscouncil@yahoo.ca.
