Diane Young Artist

Printmaker ~ Painter ~ Every Picture tells a story ~ Artwork ©Diane Young

Category Archives: Paintings (non ACEO)


by 1 Comment

Life of Pi – Cargo – Liking your own artwork

I make artwork which quite often gets surreptitiously tucked away; I am sure artists are all the same with this. This print of a painting has emerged from me turfing out some drawers and was from a long time ago, painted before the Life of Pi film was made and inspired by me reading the book. Only when these works have been hidden for some time does it enable me to become objective about the work as a whole. I left this style of painting behind some years ago now and since that refreshed my style completely on discovering Collagraph printmaking. Rediscovering this painting and looking at the brushstrokes I really like it a lot now and no longer feel the frustration of them as I did then.

painting of cargo loading interpreted from the book Life of Pi in a painterly style by artist Diane Young


by Leave a comment

#Raven #Painting Original #Art

New Raven Original Painting

Here is my original painting which is now called The Gatekeeper in a nice chunky black A3 sized frame, it is a painting of a raven holding a key.    Ravens are a common feature of ancient religion and mythologies from familiars of witches to the supernatural, from the carriers of  souls and associations with good luck, to trickery and foreboding.  According to legend, the  Kingdom of England will fall if the ravens of the Tower of London are removed; care has been taken to ensure that they continue to inhabit the Tower as they have done now for centuries.

Painting framed of a raven and key gothic art by Diane Youn


by Leave a comment

Red and Gold

Red and Gold are a favourite combination of mine, as are the colours Prussian Blue, Ultramarine and Alizarin Crimson.  Red, Gold and Blue shine out from traditional Egyptian wall paintings,  paintings from the renaissance, and religious paintings. Many colours are featured in the decorating of elephants for festivals yet I have been drawn to the deep blues, reds and gold so often used, and now echoing the colours of the recent Christmas period now nearly over.

My next Travelling Animal is an elephant.  A revisitation to research I did for a picture of Harvey the Aardvark on his adventures with decorated elephants in the desert.

Embellished with gold leaf, and decorated with a hint of African textile patterns this elephant carries a crane feather.

Decorated Elephant painting with Gold Leaf by Stroud artist Diane Young

Elephants are symbols of wisdom and strength and revered by African cultures. The crane (bird) is also known for its longevity, its lifespan similar to the African elephant some 40-60 years. The crane is also associated with wisdom and loyalty, and folklore has extended its lifespan to 1000 years.

I have combined these two animal symbols to encompass wisdom and power with loyalty.  This has enabled me to show the gentle nature of the elephant delicately carrying the feather of a crane.

We have yet to find out where he is going…….