Diana Probst, Cambridge Artist

News from the Studio

Pile of chelsea buns in watercolourThe big news that I have is the Eat Cambridge festival, now running towards its conclusion; I was fortunate enough to paint some of the illustrations for the brochure, including the main picture on the back. The pdf is available from the Eat Cambridge website, and linked here:

Download the Catalogue! See the art! Marvel at just how much food one person can try to eat!

I also went along to the main event, which was far fuller than anticipated, and buzzing all day. I took some originals and some postcards, and spent a day unable to eat the fantastic food around me because I was talking to people. Next time, I will know to bring a buddy too. However, despite the surprises and the tiredness, it was a worthwhile cause – next to the money I took in, which was enough to feed me for a few days, I also met a self-selecting set of people who liked my art and were prepared to prove it with money. That is in itself priceless.

Palette with palette knives and paints, and three small canvases with pictures of face parts in profileAfter the festival’s Main Event, I had a couple of days of lying in bed going ‘ow’ and then I hauled myself back to the studio and picked up the oil paints. It has been too long since I touched them, as winter makes the back room very cold indeed, and shortens the available hours of light.

I had been painting a rusted effect on my current still life, and that left me with a pool of warm ochre-based colour that I used to paint fragments of faces. I was aiming for the tones of my clay head, David, but while I failed in those I came out with some gently tanned features, in two neat groups. One day, I will understand human faces properly. On that day, I will likely decide to take up landscape.