Diane Walker-Gladney shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Diane, it’s always a pleasure to learn from you and your journey. Let’s start with a bit of a warmup: Are you walking a path—or wandering?
I am walking a path AND wandering. They are all the same to me. What is walking without stopping along the way to engage in all that life gives us to contemplate? Life is giving us tools to embark on our perfect journey.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Diane Walker-Gladney and I am a contemporary abstract painter living in Flower Mound, TX. I am a native of Connecticut with my Master’s degree in Art, I am represented by M.A. Doran Gallery, Tulsa, OK, J. Peeler Howell Fine Art, Fort Worth, TX and Dean Street Gallery, Tampa, FL. My work has been featured at the Longview Museum of Fine Arts, Modern Luxury Dallas Magazine and the 24th edition of New American Paintings. My pieces can be found in public and private collections including the Denton Public Art Project and the Longview Museum of Fine Art.
My work is a visual diary of sorts exploring an ongoing collection of memories that began in a small town in Connecticut. As a young child, walking was a part of my daily life. We lived close to town and as I meandered my way to school, I became keenly observant. I experienced the changing of the seasons, splashed in puddles, kicked leaves and walked the same paths of my Father and Grandfather. These quiet whispers have remained with visceral integrity and have become fodder for my work. As I move forward in my life, I continue my collection of memories. Just as those childhood experiences etched their place, new ones are added. Unexpectedly, it is the seemingly insignificant and inconsequential moments that remain and hold such gravity. These are the moments I celebrate and paint as they are the ones that define my story. I find that my history, although unique to me, can find a universal voice. We all have an autobiography; we all have a story. Let the conversation begin!
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. Who saw you clearly before you could see yourself?
My mother was a seamstress. Her handiwork was exquisite and her personality brilliant. For extra money as a stay at home mom, she would do clothing alterations for local people. One day, while I was attending Elementary School, a woman came to have a dress altered. She admired one of my pieces that my mom had so proudly displayed. She said I must borrow this and bring it to a friend in New York who owns a gallery for her to see. Being seven years old, I didn’t think much of it. What I do remember though was her saying that the gallery owner told her to tell me that I was a true artist. That was the lightbulb moment! Confidence high, I went on to sell my first painting in elementary school for five cents!
If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
The best advice I might have for my younger self is to not take myself so seriously. Everyone has an inner dialogue that is not always the kindest. Be true to yourself and confident in who you are. You can only be you. Go along life’s journey and answers will come in their time, not necessarily yours. Allow mistakes and embrace them for they are learning opportunities in disguise.
So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. Is the public version of you the real you?
I would have to say that the public version of me is only a sliver of the real me. Outwardly, people would probably notice that I am sensitive, probably to a fault. What they probably don’t know is just how deeply that runs. I am observant of everything. It is the gift and burden of being an artist.
Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. If you laid down your name, role, and possessions—what would remain?
The real me! I suppose it is true that these things identify us on some level but what is truly left when they are stripped away is the pure and magnificent soul. This soul is unemcumbered by labels and truly free to feel, embrace, love, understand and forgive.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.dianewalker-gladney.com
- Instagram: @dwalkergladney
- Facebook: Diane Walker-Gladney
Image Credits
I have taken all my own photographs
