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In my most recent series, I have been inspired to create family portraits of wild horses in Colorado. I want viewers to feel how interconnected the families are to each other, not only for survival’s sake, but on a deep emotional level…much like our own human families. Wild horses help us to reconnect with the rhythm of the natural world. As if holding up a mirror, they show us the beauty and nobility of our own spirit, so easily lost in the fast pace of our daily life. For me, the horse symbolizes a means of transport across the terrain of our physical world into the landscape of self-discovery and awareness.
Diana Woods grew up on the back of a horse on a small farm in Lincoln, Nebraska. When she wasn’t riding, she was sketching horses. Upon college graduation, she ventured west to Montana and in 1984, ended up in Grand Junction, Colorado where she fell in love with the high desert and red rock canyons. The herd of wild horses on the Little Book Cliffs near her home kindled her imagination. She has spent many hours in all seasons observing their habits, which have inspired her to try and capture their wild, untamed beauty on canvas.
A full time artist since 1996, Woods has been in numerous solo and group exhibitions around the country. Her work is in many public collections including:
Coors Brewery, Golden, Colorado;
Ivinson Memorial Hospital, Laramie, Wyoming;
The University of New Mexico Cancer Research Center, Albuquerque, New Mexico;
St. Mary’s Hospital and Regional Medical Center, Grand Junction, Colorado;
The Madeline Island Public Library Permanent Collection, La Pointe, Wisconsin;
Grand Junction City Hall Permanent Collection, Grand Junction, Colorado;
Mesa County Public Library Permanent Collection, Grand Junction, Colorado;
The Madeline Island Historical Museum, La Pointe, Wisconsin;
Hope West, Hospice & Palliative Care of Western Colorado, Grand Junction, Colorado.
In 1980, Diana graduated from William Woods College in Fulton, Missouri, with a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in painting & art history. While pursuing her art career, Diana has always believed in the importance of arts advocacy and education. She worked as an artist-in-residence in various schools; as Executive Director of Cinema at the Avalon, a non-profit independent film organization in Grand Junction, Colorado; and as Director of Exhibitions, Permanent Collection, Education and Public Relations at the Western Colorado Center for the Arts.
Diana's studio sits at the base of Red Canyon, looking up at the spectacular Colorado National Monument.
