A posthumous retrospective art show featuring the creative works of the beloved mother, wife, friend, teacher, and artist Diann Wilde.
Diann was born on December 1, 1952, and died too soon and unexpectedly due to complications from pancreatic cancer on July 5, 2020, at the age of 67, in her apartment in Watertown, MA. She left behind a vast collection of original artwork that has been waiting patiently in the dark to be displayed in its entirety.
The collection will be available for viewing at the Nave Gallery. The show will feature all original works by Diann, including oil paintings, handmade jewelry, clothing pieces, and other mixed-media works. Some pieces will be available for purchase.
EXHIBITION DATES:
February 14, 2026 – March 8, 2026
Gallery Hours: Saturday and Sundays; 12 pm- 3 pm
The gallery will be closed on Sunday, March 1
OPENING RECEPTION :
Saturday, February 14; 3 pm-6 pm
Live music from Andy Santospago, Matt Murphy, and Andy Plaisted: 4 pm-5 pm
Facebook Event
On-street, permit-free parking will available during this time.
LOCATION:
Nave Gallery (Teele Square), 155 Powder House Blvd, Somerville, MA
Admission: Free and open to the public
Accessibility: No wheelchair access
ABOUT THE ARTIST
A note from her daughter Pippa
My mom started painting when I was in middle school. She created a studio space for herself in our attic at our house on Parker Street in Newton Center and was up there doing work every spare moment she had. I believe It was roughly between the years of 2000 – 2015 that she did the majority of her painting. She worked very hard, and she was the type who when she set her mind to something, would do it and she would do it well. She was always creative growing up and she never stopped being that way. She had a deep craving and need to be creative and to create. Whether it was knitting or crocheting, making clothes or costumes for us, coming up with a fun craft project, she not only created works of art, but she also created a beautiful world around her and a beautiful world for us to grow up in. I believe she stopped painting when she and Dennis moved into their apartment on Laurel Street in Watertown because there was less space there. In the Watertown apartment she started to study and began the process of creating jewelry, as well as other little mixed media projects. I think she still created some small paintings there too. She always wanted to learn more and do more. I know it was very hard for her to know that she might not be able to do all of the things that she wanted to do when she got sick. After my mom died I found two of her artist statements and I have shared them here. I’m very happy to share what she said in her own words. Thank you.
Artist/BIO statement as written by the Artist
I graduated from Goddard College in Plainfield Vermont as an English major and several years later obtained a Masters in Education from Lesley College (now University). I loved to draw as a child, had taken one or two studio art classes in high school and studied weaving in college but never considered painting until my own children were teenagers. I had been given a small set of oils one year, but it took another 12 months before I worked up the nerve to try them. I thought oil painting was inaccessible to me: that, while I could appreciate painting, I was somehow not eligible to do it myself. Perhaps it had to do with my background or upbringing or something within myself – who knows. But one day I prepared a palette of colors and painted a crude tree with color straight from the tube. Although far from satisfied with the results of my first many efforts, I was entranced with the sensory experience of applying paint to canvas.
I painted every day, read books and studied painting and painters. I took classes through the local high schools’ adult education programs and joined the Newton Art Association. I saw the need to paint as vital as the need to exercise and infinitely more pleasurable!
In my painting I consider the landscapes of figure and face, as well as the interior and exterior world. I am moved when I observe the potential beauty and poignancy of things which, although ordinary parts of the world, retain mystery: partially peeled fruit: winter light at 4:30 pm; the hint of a smile.
I am inspired by many artists, but lean especially to the painterly and expressive work of Fairfield Porter, Edouard Vuillard, Jack Yeats and Anders Zorn. My work is in private collections and has been exhibited in the Boston area.
Second Artist Statement as written by Diann
I paint, mostly in oils, to observe and acknowledge. The landscapes of the figure and the face intrigue me, as do the objects of daily living: half-peeled fruit, the hues and tones of garlic; a fleeting smile. Painting gets to that part of myself which feels most authentic – the ability to carry on in relationship to the world as I see it.
The paintings have to do with discerning the relationship of one thing to another and to embrace the push/pull inherent in creative work: the dark/light: warm/cool: mystery/revelation and frustration/problem solving. They also have to do with the engagement of mind and body in making choices and enjoying the process.
I love learning as much as I can about artists and their work: about technique and materials; and about myself each time I paint. The many artists inspiring me include Fairfield Porter, Jack Yeats, Eric Fischl, Pierre Bonnard and Cecily Brown. I am also influenced by children and their fearless approach to making art. They remind me to keep an open mind and to approach each work with a fresh eye.
My paintings are in collections throughout New England; I am a member of the Newton Art Association and am a participant in Newton Open Studios.
“The true mystery of the world is the visible, not the invisible.” Oscar Wilde
