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Di is a professional artist, based in the pretty Georgian town
of Stamford in Lincolnshire. As a "Cottage Industry", Di paints at home but the
house has been adapted to provide a studio for painting and rooms for printing,
framing, packing, shipping and storing her work as well as an office to keep up
with the growing paperwork!
Having served an apprenticeship as a Graphics Designer with a
textile printers (before the days of computers when art had to be created and
drawn!), she put her talent to good use when bringing up four young children.
Being at home meant that she could snatch a couple of hours a day to concentrate
on her artwork, which was a useful way to raise extra income for family
holidays.
When the children
�flew the nest� Di expanded the work by commencing a Botanical Art Course and
was told by the instructor that �this is where your true talents lie!� As her
fine brushwork and attention to detail were already apparent in her earlier
works, the instructor was forced to admit after 3 sessions, that he was unable
to add anything to Di�s knowledge, as she had already out stripped not only the
class, but his own work!
Not disheartened, she
continued to paint holding several successful exhibitions in Lincolnshire and
the West Midlands. The demands of her growing family, especially grandchildren,
stretched her talents to designing on a larger scale, with complete playrooms
and bedrooms. This led to numerous requests for �fairies� and looking at the
market, Di realised that although there was a surfeit of children�s fairies,
there was also a large adult interest. Starting off in her own style, Di began
to paint �fairies� in an Art Nouveau style and took the first collection, with
some trepidation, to a Craft Fair. The response from people of all ages and both
sexes, was positive and encouraging and has led to the establishment of this
collection. However, it was a visit to the Art Deco Exhibition at the Victoria
and Albert Museum in London 3 years ago that was to be the turning point. Di
came back inspired and started an "Art Deco" gallery which is now the largest
part of her collection. Not content with painting in watercolours, Di
experimented with acrylic and other media to capture the true skin tones whilst
painting on a black background. the addition of Crystal added to the sparkle and
elegance of the Art deco period. Di provides original artwork to the Savoy Hotel
in London, a true Art Deco hotel as well as small shops and department stores
across the country.
The Botanical gallery
illustrates Di�s attention to detail, with one of the most popular being the
�Bee,� in which you can see the hairs on its legs! This piece looks stunning in
a bespoke black mount, within a gold or silver frame. The �Jazz� section draws
upon Di�s ideas for a bold and colourful statement. Hopefully, the full band
will be available soon.
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Ashley Kaye, Di's son,
was born in Stamford and attended Stamford College after leaving school.
Studying art, he specialised in African and Tribal Art and produced some very
different work which gained him an A plus pass. The strong lines and blocks of
pattern make very striking images and he now intends to expand his collection.
This is the first time that his work has been available to buy on the open
market and we are sure that it is going to be in great
demand |
