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Dianne Massey Dunbar Fine Art

Dianne Massey Dunbar - Biography

About Dianne Massey Dunbar

ARTIST STATEMENT

 

Each day I am grateful to live my dream.

Through my work, I seek to find harmony and structure in the complexities of life. I work slowly and patiently, painting the intricate shapes that allow me to tell stories or relate memories from my youth.

 

Art that reveals something about humanity, that speaks to the mysteries of life, that asks questions only to uncover yet more questions, is powerful. In my work, I strive to find the spirituality and beauty in the ordinary, the things we take for granted. My work is a puzzle of little bits of color that become bigger shapes that finally reveal the whole.

 

I spent much of my childhood daydreaming and alone. An elementary teacher noticed my artistic ability, which led to art instruction on Saturday afternoons in a small class of adults. I was 7. My deepest memory of that time was the welcoming smells of paint, linseed oil, and retouch varnish. It was a safe place that filled my dreams with the desire to become an artist.

 

Though I was granted a full-ride scholarship to art school, life sidetracked my dream. It wasn’t until 1994 that I was finally able to return to my roots and embrace my passion and paint. I enrolled in classes at the Art Students League of Denver and honed my skills. Art is a marathon. It takes time to develop and discover your voice. But with time, I learned I am a patient artist, which explains why I am drawn to the myriad complex small shapes that often appear in my work.

 

BIOGRAPHY


Dianne Massey Dunbar has been painting professionally since 1999. She has participated in numerous national exhibitions including the Coors Western Art Exhibit, Denver, and the American Masters Exhibition, New York City. Her many awards include the 2021 Western Art & Architecture Award of Excellence, Coors Western Art Exhibit; 2013 Master Category Silver Medal Award, American Women Artists National Exhibition; 2007 Best of Show, Oil Painters of America Central Regional Exhibition; and the 2007 Silver Medal Award, Oil Painters of America National Exhibition.

 

In 2010, she was honored with a one-woman exhibition Painting the Ordinary, at the Byers/Evans House Museum, Denver. Her work has been featured in numerous magazines, as well as the book, “Painted Sky: 106 Artists of the Rocky Mountain West,” (E. Ashley Rooney, December 2015). She is a Master Signature Member of American Women Artists and Signature Member of Oil Painters of America.

 

 

 

 

CV

Education

2009 Workshop with Michael Workman
2003-2004 Art Students League of Denver, studied under Ron Hicks and Kevin Weckbach
2000-2002 Art Students League of Denver, studied under Mark Daily
1998-2002 Art Students League of Denver, Quang Ho, Professional Studies Class
1980-1981 Rocky Mountain School of Art and Design
1959-1979 Studied under artist and illustrator Harold A. Wolfinbarger, Jr.

Selected Exhibitions: Solo/Group/Museum

2022

 

Breaking Through: The Rise of American Women Artists, Customs House Museum & Cultural Center, Clarksville, TN
Coors Western Art Exhibit & Sale, National Western Stock Show, Denver, CO
2021

 

Coors Western Art Exhibit & Sale, National Western Stock Show, Denver, CO
Clouds Are in the Air, The Helper Project, Anne Jespersen Fine Arts, Helper, UT
2020

 

Playtime Fun! Solo Exhibition, Gallery 1261, Denver, CO
Making Their Mark: American Women Artists, Booth Western Art Museum, Cartersville, GA
Oil Painters of America Western Regional Exhibition, Illume Gallery of Fine Art, St. George, UT
Coors Western Art Exhibit & Sale, National Western Stock Show, Denver, CO

 
2019

Looking West: An Exhibition Highlighting Works by American Women Artists, Steamboat Art Museum, Steamboat Springs, CO

Virtuosos of the OPA Exhibition, Cutter & Cutter Fine Art, St. Augustine, FL
2018

 

American Masters Exhibition, Salmagundi Club, New York City, NY
American Women Artists, Rockwell Museum: Perspectives of the American Experience, Rockwell Museum, Corning, NY
Three Person Show, Gallery 1261, Denver, CO

 
2017

Liquidus: Water, Rain and Fog, Alden B. Dow Museum of Science & Art, Midland Center for the Arts, Midland, MI
2016

Oil Painters of America National Juried Exhibition, Southwest Gallery, Dallas, TX
2015

 

American Women Artists National Exhibition, Bonner David Galleries, Scottsdale, AZ

Virtuosos of the OPA Exhibition, Salmagundi Club, New York City, NY
Oil Painters of America Western Regional Exhibition, Wild Horse Gallery, Steamboat Springs, CO
2014

 

Miniatures & More, Albuquerque Museum, Albuquerque, NM
Oil Painters of America 23rd Annual Juried Exhibition, Bennington Center for the Arts, Bennington, VT
2013

 

American Women Artists National Exhibition, RS Hanna Gallery, Fredericksburg, TX
Oil Painters of America Western Regional Exhibition, Southwind Gallery, Topeka, KS
2012

 

Oil Painters of America Western Regional Exhibition, Gallery 1261, Denver, CO
Oil Painters of America 21st Anniversary National Exhibition of Traditional Oils, Evergreen Gallery of Fine Art, Evergreen, CO

 
2011

Oil Painters of America 20th Anniversary National Exhibition of Traditional Oils, Devin Galleries, Coeur d’Alene, ID
2010

 

Solo Show, Byers/Evans House Museum, Denver, CO
Oil Painters of America National Exhibition of Traditional Oils, Scottsdale, AZ
2009

 

Third Annual Denver Plein Air Art Festival, Denver, CO
10th Annual American Impressionist Society Juried Exhibition, Denver, CO
Salon International, Greenhouse Gallery of Fine Art, San Antonio, TX
2008

 

Oil Painters of America Western Regional Exhibition, Devin Galleries, Coeur d’Alene, ID
Salon International, Greenhouse Gallery of Fine Art, San Antonio, TX
2007

 

Oil Painters of America Central Regional Exhibition, Southwind Gallery, Topeka, KS
Salon International, Greenhouse Gallery of Fine Art, San Antonio, TX
Oil Painters of America 16th Annual National Juried Exhibition of Traditional Oils, Fredericksburg, TX
Impact Exhibition, Art Students League of Denver, Denver, CO

 
2006

Oil Painters of America 15th Annual National Juried Exhibition of Traditional Oils, Missoula, MT
2005

 

Oil Painters of America Central Regional Exhibition, Estes Park, CO
Salon International, Greenhouse Gallery of Fine Art, San Antonio, TX
Oil Painters of America 14th Annual National Juried Exhibition of Traditional Oils, Chicago, IL
2003

 

Artists of Colorado Show, Denver, CO
Arts for the Parks National Competition, Jackson WY
Colorado Artist’s Guild 75th Anniversary Celebration Show & Sale, Colorado History Museum, Denver, CO
Oil Painters of America National Exhibition of Traditional Oils, Taos, NM
Salon International, Greenhouse Gallery of Fine Art, San Antonio, TX
2002

 

Legacy of Fine Art Exhibit, Colorado Artists Guild, Highlands Ranch, CO
Artists of Colorado Show, Denver, CO
Arts for the Parks National Competition, Jackson, WY
American Women Artists Fifth Annual Competition Exhibit, Santa Fe, NM
Salon International, Greenhouse Gallery of Fine Art, San Antonio, TX
Oil Painters of America 11th Annual National Juried Exhibition of Traditional Oils, Chicago, IL
This is Colorado Exhibit, Denver, CO

 
2001

Artists of Colorado Show, Denver, CO

Bibliography

 

“Artist Spotlight: Painting the Ordinary”, Fine Art Connoisseur, May 2019.

“Portfolio | Women in Art”, Southwest Art, October 2015.

Rintala, Laura. “Meet 12 female painters who work in a range of styles and media.” Southwest Art, September 2015.

“Artists Making Their Mark”, Fine Art Connoisseur, October 2014.

“Spotlight Bennington, VT | Oil Painters of America”, Southwest Art Magazine, June 2014.

“Featured Event | Oil Painters of America”, Southwest Art, May 15, 2014.

Pototschnik, John. “Dianne Massey Dunbar Revisited.” John’s Blog, March 3, 2013.

Gangelhoff, Bonnie. “Random Acts of Artistry.” Southwest Art, November 2012.

Pototschnik, John. “Dianne Massey Dunbar Interview.” John’s Blog, August 6, 2012.

“Portfolio | Inside Edition”, Southwest Art, March 16, 2011.

“Respecting the Ordinary”, American Art Collector, November 2007.

 

Awards & Honors

 

Western Art & Architecture Magazine Award of Excellence, 2021 Coors Western Art Exhibit & Sale

Cityscape Award of Excellence, 2020 Oil Painters of America

Award of Excellence, 2019 American Women Artists, Steamboat Springs Museum

Award of Excellence, 2018, American Women Artists, Rockwell Museum

Most Original Painting Honorable Mention, 2016 Oil Painters of American National Juried Exhibition of Traditional Oils

Realism Award of Excellence, 2014 Oil Painters of American 23rd Annual Juried Exhibition of Traditional Oils

Silver Medal Masters Category, 2013 American Women Artists National Exhibition

Award of Excellence, 2012 Oil Painters of America Western Regional Exhibition

Most Original Painting, 2011 Oil Painters of America 20th Anniversary National Exhibition of Traditional Oils

2010 Awarded Master Category member status, American Women Artists

Best of Show and First Place Masters Category, 2009 Third Annual Denver Plein Air Art Festival

Second Place Overall, 2009 10th Annual American Impressionist Society

Honorable Mention and Jurys Top 50, 2009 Salon International 

Best of Show, 2007 Oil Painters of America Central Regional Exhibition

Honorable Mention and Jury’s Top 50, 2007 Salon International

Second Place Overall, 2007 Oil Painters of America 16th National Juried Exhibit of Traditional Oils

2006 Awarded Signature Member status in Oil Painters of America

Hunter Editions Award of Excellence, 2006 Oil Painters of America 15th Annual National Juried Exhibition of Traditional Oils 

Award of Excellence, 2005 Oil Painters of America Central Regional Exhibition

Jury’s Top 50, 2005 Salon International 

Best of Show, 2003 Artists of Colorado

Top 100 Arts for the Parks, 2003 Arts for the Parks National Competition

First Place- Oil,  2003 Colorado Artist’s Guild 75th Anniversary Celebration Show and Sale

Savoir Faire: Sennelier & Isabey Award of Excellence, 2003 Oil Painters of America National Exhibition of Traditional Oils 

Honorable Mention and Jury’s Top 50, 2003 Salon International

Award of Excellence, 2002 Legacy of Fine Art Exhibit

Best of Show, 2002 Artists of Colorado Show

Top 200 Arts for the Parks, 2002 Arts for the Parks National Competition

Runner-Up Best of Show, 2002 American Women Artists Fifth Annual Competition Exhibition

Second Place- Oil, 2002 This is Colorado Exhibit

Charles Des Moineaux Memorial Award and Award of Excellence, 2001 Artists of Colorado Show

 

Museums & Collections

 

Booth Museum, Cartersville, GA

Children’s Hospital, Aurora, CO

Dianne Massey Dunbar - Biography