Dianne Herndon

Dianne, a native Tennessean, began her art training under the guidance of Juanita Green Parks at Watkins Institute in 1969. She learned to draw, as Juanita would say, “inside out,” knowing the bone and muscle structure and relationships before attempting to sketch a figure. She studied oil painting at the University of Tennessee at Nashville under Gus Baker, art history with John Kiser and watercolors by Paul Zipilinsky. Under the guidance of her current teacher, Hazel Crye-King, she discovered her favorite medium, acrylics. Ms. January, the first acrylic in The Calendar Girls series, was started seven years ago on a whim. The artist wanted to see if she could paint a geisha. She fell in love with this beautiful woman, and her son fell in love with the painting. He said, “I would like to have a whole room of them.” The artist decided to create a geisha for each month of the year. The Calendar Girls were born. She completed the project in 2007 and dedicates the series to her son, Owen. Many of the artist’s friends instrumentally assisted her with The Calendar Girls project. Kay Matter’s daughter-in-laws, Misa and Hisashi Fukushima, transcribed the months and the artist’s name from English to Japanese. They, along with friends Carol and David Boehms and Kay Matter, sent Dianne information and photographs. Rick and Pam Gill helped with the framing. Without the support of Dianne’s loving husband, Wilson, and encouragement from her son, Owen, and other countless friends, she would have been overwhelmed with this artistic undertaking. She would like to thank all of these people who made The Calendar Girls come to life.

Art not to be copied, downloaded, or otherwise reproduced in any manner without express permission of Dianne Herndon.
©2008