Raised in New England, Diane Sandall heeded the siren song of the Northwest, making her way out to Oregon. After a time, she looked to her heritage, and a six-month stay in Sweden began a compelling relationship with her second home, infusing her work with the wind and the savor of that beautiful land.
Sense of place anchors her art; the rain and the cool colors of the Pacific Northwest and the depth of history and myth in Scandinavia feed the storyteller in her. While she has practiced many tactile arts – knitting, carving, ceramics, blacksmithing among them – she returns to drawing as a way to connect people and the natural world to timeless narratives.
Her work is in many private collections and can be seen annually at the Oregon Country Fair. Her illustrations are presented in the volume of children’s prayers Small Graces. She likes Irish whiskey and a long gab and she's happy to talk about the printmaking process if you might be interested.
Curriculum Vitae
Selected Exhibitions
2019
-Featured Artist, Eugene Yoga, Eugene, OR
-Emerald Print Exchange
2018
-Emerald Print Exchange
-Solo Exhibition, Out On a Limb Gallery, Eugene, OR
-Group Exhibition, Holiday Art Show and Sale, WhitPrint Printmaking Studio, Eugene, OR
2017
-Featured Artist, UUCE Community Art Gallery, Solo Exhibition, Eugene, OR
-Group Exhibition, Holiday Art Show and Sale, WhitPrint Printmaking Studio, Eugene, OR
2016
-Human to Human, David Joyce Gallery, Juried Exhibition, Lane Community College, Eugene, OR
-Group Exhibition, Holiday Art Show and Sale, WhitPrint Printmaking Studio, Eugene, OR
2015
-Featured Artist, UUCE Community Art Gallery, Solo Exhibition, Eugene, OR
-Green Door International Print Exchange, Group Show, Derby, UK
2014
-Green Door International Print Exchange, Group Show, Derby, UK
2013
-Open Studio, Playa Presents, Playa, Summer Lake, OR
-Green Door International Print Exchange, Group Show, Derby, UK
-Zone 4 All, New Zone Arts Collective, Eugene, OR
-All Woman, Group Show, Eugene Storefront Project, Eugene, OR
2012
-Ljus Ger Färg/Light Gives Color, Interactive Installation within Shoot Protons and Tickle Electrons Exhibit, Vattenhallen Science Center, Lund, Sweden (Permanent Collection)
2011
-Playa Presents, Open Studio, Playa, Summer Lake, OR
-6th Kyoto International Woodprint Association Exhibition, Kyoto, Japan
2010
-Green Door International Print Exchange, Group Show, Derby, UK
Annual Exhibitions
-Oregon Country Fair, Juried Exhibition (Printmaking), Veneta, OR, 2007 - present
-Oregon Country Fair, Juried Exhibition (Ceramics), Veneta, OR, 1986 - 2010
Residencies / Collaborative Projects
2019
-Collaboration with Poet Kristin Berger, Illustrating Prose Poem Changing Woman, Changing Man (12 illustrations)
2016
-Linocut Friends International Print Chain
2015
-Blacksmithing Intensive, Lund, Sweden
-Linocut Friends International Print Exchange
-Green Door Printmaking Studio International Print Exchange, Derby, UK
2014
-Blacksmithing Intensive, Lund, Sweden
-Green Door Printmaking Studio International Print Exchange, Derby, UK
2013
-Artist Residency, Playa, Summer Lake, OR
-Green Door Printmaking Studio International Print Exchange, Derby, UK
2011
-Artist Residency, Playa, Summer Lake, OR
Special Projects
2012
Shoot Protons and Tickle Electrons, Vattenhallen Science Center, Lund, Sweden
Commission for the Vattenhallen Science Center, in collaboration with Stanley J. Micklavzina, MS, in conjunction with ESS, Lund University Physics, and MAX IV Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory.
The Shoot Protons and Tickle Electrons (Skjuta Protoner och Kittla Elektroner) exhibit educates the public about the science involved in the range of experiments conducted at the MAX IV facility and their benefits to everyday life. Our commission was to create an interactive installation that allows the public to experience the effects of various wavelengths of light. We explored the interplay between art and science, and how we might use this relationship to illustrate the concepts for visitors to the Science Center. The result is Ljus Ger Färg/Light Gives Color, a layered piece I created that reveals different colors and imagery when exposed to different wavelengths. It is part of the permanent collection.
For links and photos, click here.
2002-2010
Art Director, Solsidan House Books and Fine Art, Eugene, OR
This was a very special opportunity to illustrate and provide the art direction for Small Graces, a children’s prayer book, published by Solsidan House in 2004.
In addition to creating all of the hand-carved relief prints used to illustrate the book, I was responsible for graphic design for Solsidan House. This included logos, creating adjunct lines of greeting cards based on the illustrations and prayers contained in the book, and all elements of book design.
For more details, photos and purchasing information, click here.
Studio Outreach / Community
Throughout my life as a studio artist, I have valued teaching, both as a means to augment my studio income, and as a means to give back to my community through volunteering.
Through WhitPrint Printmaking Studio in Eugene, OR, I have been offering both Black and White and Colour linocut workshops. These intensive workshops have been enormous fun thanks to the outstanding facilities, support from WhitPrint, and wonderfully talented students.
I have taught ceramics to all ages, from 2-72, and enjoyed showing metalworking to adults through a rural arts network. I especially enjoyed my years of sharing printmaking and bookbinding techniques with Middle Schoolers at our local Montessori school.
Education
Bachelor of Fine Arts, Magna Cum Laude, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR
Washington University School of Fine Art, St. Louis, MO
Northfield-Mt.Hermon School, Northfield, MA
Kent School, Kent, CT