like fine wine

by Lisa Truesdale

artist Diana Stetson thinks her work gets better as she ages

JUST ACROSS THE VALLEY from the majestic Sangre de Cristo Mountains, near the banks of the Rio Grande, artist Diana Stetson spends long hours in her studio on her property north of Albuquerque. It’s a sacred place where she paints “sometimes in complete silence, and sometimes with rock-and-roll cranked up a bit too high.”

Although she’s been a working artist for more than 40 years, Diana wasn’t always a painter. Her science degree from Reed College in Oregon informs her artistic style, but Reed’s renowned scholarly calligraphy program shaped her future. After traveling the world studying calligraphy and other ancient techniques, she spent three decades working in letterform, collage and printmaking. That is, until the voice inside her said, “Paint!”

So she turned her attention to painting, with a process as unique as her finished works: On custom birch panels measuring up to 4-by-6 feet—and sometimes larger—she lays down three different layers, starting with an abstract acrylic background.

“Then I add mixed-media in a graphic style, and I finish in oils with a realistic, representational image from nature. My work is based on my love of, and belief in, beauty.”

Because the panels don’t warp, they could last for centuries, she says. “I can also sand and scrape as much as I like; you can’t do that with canvas.”

Honestly, I feel that I just started my serious paintings
within the last few years …
– Diana Stetson

She feels her three-layer process allows her to be more expressive. “With the acrylics, I can make quick decisions and even be messy,” she says. “But with the oils, there’s no rush. I can do a lot of blending with more refined details.”

Diana’s painting coach, acclaimed artist Holly Roberts, once told her that she has “great hands.”

“I had no idea what she was seeing, but the more I painted, the more I realized what she meant—my lettering training gave me important skills, like hand-eye coordination, and learning to use tools in unique ways,” she explains. “I take for granted the subtle twist and lift of the brush to create calligraphic marks while painting the feather of a bird, and the control I have with plaster on a palette knife, in lifting it slowly to drag it over a surface to create the mark I’m seeking.”

Diana hopes to paint well into her 80s or 90s, as other female artists in New Mexico—like Georgia O’Keeffe and Agnes Martin—have done.

“Honestly, I feel that I just started my serious paintings within the last few years, and I believe my senior years will be good years to do powerful work.”

For a list of galleries that feature Diana’s work, visit dianastetson.com. Her paintings will also be featured during August 2022 at Convergence Gallery, 634 Canyon Road, Santa Fe.