About the artist:

Alexanre Monet -- Diane Monet's grandfather -- moved to the United States from Paris in 1887 at the age of 24, working as a chef and sign-painter. He was always proud to note that he was a relative of Claude Monet, the artist. Diane grew up in the New York area and went on to graduate from New York University with an honors degree in international marketing. She also studied at the National University of Mexico. After graduation, she was responsible for marketing consumer products at Avon, Brisol-Meyers and PepsiCo. However, by 1986, her leisure time painting was no longer sufficient, so her late husband Gary encouraged her to devote full time to artistic endeavors. Artistically, she is self-taught. By painting almost every day, she is always seeking to improve her craft. She has lived in the New York area most of her life, but with a very strong wanderlust. Her father said that she "lives in a fantasy world" and a close friend said that she was "born to play". She travels extensively and feels very much at home in Europe and in Mexico. It is this sense if fantasy, play and joyfulness that she tries to communicate in her work. During her travels - often in France and Italy - Ms. Monet searches for settings that inspire her, sketching and photographing gardens, landscapes, and other vistas that have the potential to bring joy and beauty to her work. Returning home, she then chooses those subjects that she believes will be most enjoyed by others as well, plans her artistic strategy, and then adds her impressionistic interpretation, not to mention many meticulously-applied layers of oil on canvas, including some with a fine eyeliner brush. With her impressionist style, Miss Monet's work has been especially popular in Japan. In addition to personal appearances, her one-person shows have elicited several invitations to appear on NHK Television and Sendai Television. Her work evokes unusually strong emotional responses there. For example, one couple told her that, after purchasing her painting the previous year, their home is happier and their relationship has markedly improved. Many infirm people have remarked that her paintings give them strength and happiness each day. Tears of joy have streamed down the face of many buyers while purchasing their Monet. Needless to say, Ms. Monet herself is deeply moved by these reactions. Throughout her life she has admired the art of Claude Monet, Camille Pissarro, Childe Hassam, J.M.W. Turner, and the drawings of Peter Paul Rubens. Her own work is done from a cluttered, two-window, corner studio that was designed and built by her husband. Overflowing with paints, brushes, canvases and color swatches, it is expressly off limits to visitors. Doing so offers her the space that she needs, provides a sense of security, and accommodates someone who is self described "slow starter in the morning." She paints all day - sometimes losing herself well into the evening - and is often found painting in the dark after the sun sets, as if she is painting only with the eye of her mind. Her work is recognized for its vivid colors, luminosity and depth. All of her work is done in oil on canvas, and the look that she desires requires the application of many layers, so her work is quite time-intensive. But mostly her work is appreciated for its joyous mood and subjects. As she says. "It is my wish to give people sun-filled escapes from the pressures and stresses of the world, to offer serene views of gardens, fields and resort areas so that my paintings provide little vacations of joy and hope."