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Ellen Diamond
Nature sparks my passion to paint, and the love for the subject matter becomes my inspiration to express and share the excitement that I am feeling. Color is my most important tool and I use it to capture the essence of the subject, and to represent my emotional response to the visual experience. Color uplifts ones spirit and transports us into a mood of serenity or excitement. My passion finds its expression in the effect of shifting light and spontaneous directness of brushwork.
I have traveled throughout Europe to experience the light and atmosphere which has become the inspiration and spirit for the creation of my paintings. The summers spent in Tuscany where the sun radiates over the silver olive trees, where the black green cypresses dot the landscape, and the ochre wheat fields roll on as far as the eye can see, have provided me with endless material. The astonishing quality of the light radiating from the sun of Provence and the towns where I traced the footsteps of Van Gogh, Matisse, Bonnard, and Monet has also played an important roll in the development of the contemporary impressionistic style that has evolved in recent years. The magnificent vistas with brilliant yellow sunflowers turning their heads to the sun, the bustling colorful flower markets, and the romantic courtyards have all entered into my canvases.
Since moving to Ponte Vedra from New York where I spent the first half of my career, my work has been greatly influenced by my new and very different surroundings. The beaches, marshes, and the St. Johns River with the many bridges that cross it have become important subjects for my current work. However, experimentation with color always excites me the most. The manipulation of beautiful blues, mauves and purples, the infinite palette of greens, and the explosion of reds and yellows will forever challenge me to paint the next canvas.
Ellen lives in Ponte Vedra Beach with her husband Jay, an accomplished author. She is the mother of three children and has six grandchildren.
Judith Stanyard
I am inspired by color, texture and shape of decorative objects as well as the earth's natural beauty. I love fine fabrics and often use them as an integral part of my compositions, letting the colors and patterns lead me into a certain direction. A bird's feather might be featured in the same painting as one of my favorite pottery pieces or a beautiful bowl might be paired with a bird's nest or a turtle shell. I use items that are meaningful to me and I spend considerable time selecting the objects with which I compose my paintings. Every item has a purpose, sometimes metaphoric and sometimes more obvious, but all circle back to the meaning which together they have for me.
I've chosen realism as a way to express my way of observing life, my thoughts, insights, and perceptions. I don't see realism as merely a duplication of what I see, but rather a reinterpretation. Every object in this world, both natural and man-made has its own intrinsic character and beauty, and I often like to set up a narrative tension between the two.
I feel that my painting style is a synthesis of my formal art education, Interior Design work, corporate and residential art consulting experience and other art related occupations over many years. These various facets have enhanced my skills in color, design and composition.
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