Diann Haist Fine Art
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DIANN HAIST

 

   ARTIST STATEMENT    


Fortunate enough to win a scholarship to attend art college, I studied under, and was inspired by, Audrey Garwood, Doris McCarthy, and prot้g้ of British sculptor Henry Moore, Wyndham Lawrence. Here the classics were learned; not only how to draw, paint and sculpt, but how to look and think. This sound education in the classics gave me the grounding in what I believe to be the most important thing in the craft of the artist, knowing how to draw, learning the basics practiced by master artists. Only then can you convincingly break the rules, having them to fall back on should things go wrong.  

Since 1969, when I began my career as professional artist, my work has been through some changes - oil paint was replaced by acrylics, realism was abandoned for musically inspired abstractions. In 1989 however, I realized my first love was truly oil painting in the impressionist style - it just seemed natural. Plein air painting once again became my addiction, as well as painting interesting people. Since moving to Alaska from Canada in 1999, there has been no shortage of either landscape or figurative subjects, and every day is a new inspiration.

I am not afraid of colour and my brushwork has been described as bold and confident - this is what I want viewers of my work to see, that there is some passion there, no apologies, nothing timid. What I strive for is portraying the life force of my subjects as well as my work being aesthetically pleasing to the eye.

In this way, do I truly enjoy exploring my life as an artist.

 

Affectionately,

Diann Haist


A person viewing a painting should see something new which he has not taken the time to see before, or something which creates an emotional impact in him. This is Art.

 

 

 

 

Biography


The eldest of three children, Diann Haist was born and raised in a small town in southern Ontario, Canada. Haist enjoyed an early exposure to fine art through her meetings with some latter members of the legendary Canadian Group of Seven artists, who gave her painting tips as she followed them around while they were plein air painting. She held her first solo exhibition at the age of thirteen, selling three out of ten paintings.  Haist continued to exhibit and accept commissions until her college years, when she pursued a classical art education. Her studies in Canada under the tutelage of Audrey Garwood and Doris McCarthy helped instill an enthusiasm for drawing and painting with passion.

After her formal training, Haist kept up her interest in Life Drawing, and began teaching in the mid 1970’s, always emphasizing the importance of drawing from life as a strong foundation upon which to build a work of art.

Haist's work typically employs the combined techniques of the Impressionist Masters and the Old Masters. Being classically oriented, she begins each figurative piece as an abstract, often using a toned canvas, employing Rembrandt's technique of wiping out the masses of her subject with a rag as the base upon which to build. Her figurative works are also based on a solid grounding of drawing from life, as it is her belief that the ability to draw well, to observe structure and balance, is the basis of creating a convincing work of art.

Haist approaches her landscape paintings differently from the figurative works. She lays down broad areas of color and allows the masses of light to guide her to her subject and to the liveliness and depth that have become her trademark. Each layer applied allows the brilliance of the previous layer to come through, similar to the working methods of the French Impressionists such as Monet.

Over her career of forty-plus years, Diann Haist has had many successful solo exhibitions which have garnered her an enviable core of collectors.  Haist's paintings are part of numerous major corporate and prestigious private collections in Canada, the United States, Japan, and Argentina as well as throughout Europe. Her versatility as an artist allows her to explore a variety of themes: her oils and acrylics, either on canvas or paper, display a bold brush stroke and confident technique, as well as the ability to produce strong watercolour and pastel paintings.

Diann Haist's work is known internationally in over 40 countries through Fine Art posters published by Posters International in Canada. Forty-nine of her images to date have been published and several consistently are on best seller lists. Limited Edition Fine Art giclee's of selected works by Diann Haist are also available through Bootstrap Publishing of Anchorage, Alaska.

Diann currently resides in Alaska where the big landscape and its Indigenous People are a never-ending source of inspiration.


“The inspiration for my art comes from a combination of extensive travels, with much outdoor painting and sketching from life, as well as a passion for music.

I have learned much from my favorite artists, Degas, Monet, Emile Gruppe, Edgar Payne, Nicolai Fechin, Lawren Harris, William Merritt Chase, John Singer Sargent, Wassily Kandinsky, Anders Zorn, as well as some 19th Century Scandinavian Impressionists"

  

AWARDS:

2009 20 December - "Harmony in Orange and Blue", was selected as part of the FAV15% (jury's favorite 15% of the entries) in the December 2009 FineArtViews Painting competition.

2009 21 December - "Girl From The Hills, Nepal", was selected as part of the FAV15% (jury's favorite 15% of the entries) in the November 2009 FineArtViews Painting competition.

2009 14 November - "Little Dancer" selected by Robert Bluver of LaMantia Gallery, Northport, NY, awarded  First Place Winner of Smithtown Township Arts Council's Members Art Forum 2009

2009 02 October - Grand Prize, Best of Show - Art For Alaska State Parks

2009 02 October - Best Wildlife/Bird - Art For Alaska State Parks

2009 02 October - Peer's Choice - Art For Alaska State Parks

2009 02 October - People's Choice - Art For Alaska State Parks

2009 August - "Russian Gypsy"  was selected as part of the FAV15% (jury's favorite 15% of the entries) in the August 2009 FineArtViews Painting competition.

2008 July Raymar Fine Art Competition: July 2008 Finalist


SELECTED JURIED, SOLO & GROUP EXHIBITIONS:


2010, 13 February - Lumen Christi High School Benefit Gala & Live Auction, Egan Civic & Convention Center, 555 W 5th Ave, Anchorage, AK  (Diann Haist original oil 'Talkeetna Sunrise' featured painting in the live auction).

2010 February 11, 12, and 13 - KAKM PBS Art Showcase Auction, Anchorage, Alaska – Juried Group Exhibition, interview & televised live auction.

February 10: Alaska Watercolor Society, General Member's meeting, Sourdough Mining Co., 5200 Juneau St., Anchorage. Speaker is Diann Haist. “Chasing the Muse across a Continent."

2009 14 November - 23 December: Members Art Forum - Mills Pond House Gallery, St. James, NY - Group Exhibition

2009 23 October - 1 December:  American Impressionist Society 10th Annual National Juried Exhibition, at the Prestigious Saks Galleries, Denver, Colorado - Group Exhibition

2009 01 October - 06 November: Wild Bras on Parade!! presented by Casting for Recovery, Alaska. 2 Friends Gallery, Artique Gallery, & Half Moon Creek Gallery, Anchorage, AK

2009 01 October - 30 October: Art for Alaska's State Parks - 2009, Alaska's Top 30 Competition (Four Diann Haist original oil paintings have been juried into this exhibition.) Paintspot Gallery, Anchorage, AK

2009 July 18 - August 14, In Full Bloom, Mills Pond House Gallery, Smithtown Township Arts Council, St. James, New York – Juried Group Exhibition

2009 February KAKM PBS Art Showcase Auction, Anchorage, Alaska – Juried Group Exhibition, interview & televised live auction.

2008 December, Charlie's Club 25 Coffee Gallery, Anchorage AK, Diann Haist, James Belcher and Don Kolstad – Group Exhibition

2008 November 22 to December 22, American Impressionist Society: 9th Annual National Juried Exhibition, at the prestigious Coda Fine Art Gallery, 73151 El Paseo, Palm Desert, California  Master Artist Calvin Liang Awards Judge – Juried Group Exhibition

2008 February KAKM PBS Art Showcase Auction, Anchorage, Alaska – Juried Group Exhibition, interview & televised live auction.

2007 Anna Kristine's, Anchorage Alaska,  Group Exhibition artists Diann Haist, Eric Deeter, James Belcher, Don Kolstad, Cheryll Heinze, Vladimir Bolotov & Glenda McKay. – Group Exhibition

2007 Art on Fifth Fine Art Gallery, (Best of Canadian Contemporary Art exhibition), Austin Texas – Group Exhibition

2007 February KAKM PBS Art Showcase Auction, Anchorage, Alaska – Juried Group Exhibition, interview & televised live auction.

2006-2007 St Pierre Galleries, Anchorage, Alaska - Solo & Group Exhibitions

2006 February KAKM PBS Art Showcase Auction, Anchorage, Alaska – Juried Group Exhibition, interview & televised live auction.

2004 ART on 5th Fine Art Gallery, (Best of Canadian Contemporary Art exhibition) Austin, Texas- Group Exhibition

2000-2003 Organic Oasis, Anchorage, Alaska - Solo Exhibitions

1999 Joy Gallery, Key West, Florida – Group Exhibition

1995 Galerie Pauline Johnson, Montreal, Quebec – Group Exhibition

1994 Maruzen Co. Galleries, Nagoya, Kyoto, Sendai, Okayama, Tokyo, Japan – Group Exhibitions

1993-99 Artisan's Alley, London, Canada - Group Exhibitions

1992-99 Gallery Fyraarstyder, Stockholm, Sweden- Group Exhibitions

1993 Jacques Brel is Alive & Well & living in Paris-Theatre Francais & Canadian Opera Company, Toronto, Canada - Solo Exhibition

1993 Dimension Plus, Toronto, Canada - Solo Exhibition

1992 Bonnie Kagan Gallery, Toronto, Canada - Group Exhibition

1992 Gallery 88, Clearwater, USA – Group Exhibition

1991-2007 Dimension Plus Galleries, Montreal Quebec - Group Exhibitions

1988-99 Denison Gallery, Markham, Ontario Canada - Solo & Group Exhibitions

1987-1994 Rosing Fine Art, Markham Ontario Canada - Solo Exhibitions

1983-1990 Whitman Gallery, Toronto Ontario Canada - Solo Exhibitions

1976-1980 Arthur-Morton Galleries, Yorkville in Toronto, Ontario, Canada –Solo Exhibitions

1975-1976 Produced TV sets for The Dini Petty Show, and Toronto Real Estate Board TV show

1974-1975 Win Galleries, Yorkville in Toronto, Ontario, Canada – Solo Exhibitions

1973-1974 Artists Living room Gallery, Toronto, Ontario, Canada – Solo Exhibitions

1973-1976 Cover artist for Selling Travel Monthly Magazine

1971-1979 Exhibited yearly in juried exhibitions at Toronto Dominion Center – Solo Exhibitions

1968-1969 Painted sets for Garden City Players, St Catherine's, Ontario, Canada

Publications:

Featured in Magazin' art Biennial Guides 2000-2001
Featured Cover Artist for Selling Travel Magazine 1973-1976


A Few Accomplishments:


- Since 1990, fine art posters of Diann Haist's work have been popular world-wide in over 40 countries.

- Over the years, Haist's work has been commissioned for and appeared in many major movies and TV productions.

Acqualina Resort and Spa   photo T. Swanson

- In 2004, completed a commission of 22 large original paintings for an important property in North Miami Beach Florida.

Professional Affiliations:

Diann Haist is a member of Oil Painters of America,  Juried In Member of the American Impressionist Society, Juried In Member of Smithtown Township Arts Council, and also enjoys painting with the Alaska Plein Air Artists Group.