Look Just Look by: Diana Stetson

Artwork Description

Artist Information

ARTIST'S STATEMENT
My work has always involved juxtaposition of text with image.  I studied classical European and Asian lettering seriously for many years before I began working as a printmaker in 1990.  Initially, poetry inspired my images, and lately I have found that I work in the opposite direction - I start with an image that interests me and then sometimes find or write a text to relate to it - often simply a question or a haiku poem.  Incorporating text into visual images can give a second dimension to the experience of the artwork, because of the content as well as the visual power of written forms themselves.  My studies and travels in Asia, Mexico, Greece and Europe, and my marriage to a Buddhist priest, have helped nurture a contemplative and cross-cultural aesthetic in my work.  I'm honored to sign all of my work with the "chop" or signature seal that was designed and carved by my Chinese teacher in 1980 when he gave me my artist name, which translates from Chinese into English as Red Elegance.

BRIEF BIOGRAPHY
Stetson earned a BA with honors at Reed College in 1979, received a two-year graduate diploma in one year with honors at the Roehampton Institute in London, and completed more than a year of study in Japan and Hong Kong in the early 80s. She has received over 20 grants and awards for her work, including a grant from the French Ministry of Culture in Paris, First Place at the prestigious Saint Louis Art Fair, and the 2003 Bravo Award for Excellence in Visual Art in Albuquerque, New Mexico.