Diane Thompson
Diane Thompson, born in 1961, moved from Melbourne to Castlemaine in 1987 and now lives and works on a bush property on Jaara Country in central Victoria. She began her arts practise as a printmaker and turned to sculpture, working with a range of materials and has enjoyed the versatility of steel, resin and the transformation of everyday recycled objects in studio pieces and large outdoor work. She has regularly exhibited in solo and group exhibitions in Castlemaine State Festivals and ArtsOpen Studios, and in Melbourne and Hong Kong.
Her work has received High Commendations in numerous shows and she was Winner in The Inaugural Association of Sculptures of Victoria Award: Castlemaine State Festival 2011 and The Tesselar Sculpture Prize 2009. Diane was also awarded the public commission for The Nalderun Indigenous Sculptural Garden Program: Castlemaine 2018.
Diane’s sense of spiritual connection to the environment permeates her works of art. The black and white series focuses on organic materials of scarred tree limbs interwoven with string and repurposed old gravestone flowers. The wood has been stained to evoke the ravages of fire. The stories carried in these materials signify a contrasting world of old and new, contemporary and traditional identities, brought together in harmony and resolve.
Diane was Treasurer of Castlemaine Artists Inc in 1990 and 1991.
