Show Preview | Madaras Gallery: Diana Madaras

Tucson, AZ
October 20-November 17

Diana Madaras, After a Good Rain, acrylic, 20 x 48.

This story was featured in the October 2013 issue of Southwest Art magazine. Get the Southwest Art October 2013 print issue or digital download now–then subscribe to Southwest Art and never miss another story!

At Madaras Gallery’s annual show this fall, gallery owner and artist Diana Madaras unveils 25 new paintings in watercolor and acrylic that depict a variety of subjects Madaras describes as “things close to my heart.” The show, aptly titled Heart Beat, opens with an artist’s reception from 1 to 4 p.m. on Sunday, October 20.

Diana Madaras, Window in the City, watercolor, 12 x 9.

Madaras has lived in Tucson, AZ, for the past 37 years, and today she has two gallery locations in Tucson that show her work exclusively. One of the best perks of owning her own gallery, Madaras says, is that it allows her to “break the rules” when it comes to deciding what to paint and how. Rather than sticking to just one subject matter, medium, or style, Madaras prefers to mix it up. “That’s why the show is called Heart Beat,” Madaras explains, “because I paint whatever moves my heart.”

She is often moved to paint the beautiful desert landscape that surrounds her in Tucson. “Paint what you know. Paint what you love,” Madaras says of her motivation. One piece in the show that depicts the Sonoran Desert is a new a triptych titled AFTER A GOOD RAIN. The show also features an abstract desert landscape, an impressionistic painting of the desert that surrounds the hidden fairways at Starr Pass golf course, local southwestern architecture, and scenes from a ranch in the small Arizona town of Tubac. “I’m in love with the desert,” she says, then adds, “but I also love to paint where I travel.” This love is exhibited in two new watercolors in the show, SECLUDED BENCH and WINDOW IN THE CITY, which the artist created during a trip to Poland, where her husband’s family lives.

Other subjects the artist enjoys painting include flowers and animals of all kinds. “I love to paint flowers because they’re loose and free,” she says. Her love of animals can be traced back to her childhood: “I literally grew up at the vet hospital that my dad owned—we lived right next door.” Whatever subject or style she chooses, Madaras’ intent can be summed up in two words: color and joy. “If looking at one of my paintings makes another person happy, then I’ve done my job,” she says. —Lindsay Mitchell

contact information
520.615.3001
www.madaras.com

Featured in the October 2013 issue of Southwest Art magazine–click below to purchase:
Southwest Art October 2013 print issue or digital download
Or subscribe to Southwest Art and never miss a story!