Diane Cahal

Diane grew up in a small town in 1970s Texas, picking blackberries, squeezing through barbed-wire fences, and crawdad fishing in the back pasture with bacon tied to a string. After many high-rise hair styles (it was the 80s) she graduated from Madisonville High School and began college a few days later. She went to Sam Houston State University for her BA in Photography, minor in Studio Art. It was at Sam that she fell in love with photographic alternative processes and painting in watercolour. This is also where she began making photo-collage works. She was known to photograph a Texan town, make prints of the buildings and then rearrange them in her version of what the town should look like. To this day, Diane isn’t fully satisfied with her own “straight shot” photography, it must be manipulated in some form or fashion. After college, she met her husband, Bobby, got married at the farm and welcomed Zoe into the family on an Easter Sunday. They all moved to Florida for Bobby’s work as a forester, and thought they’d one day make their way back to Texas, but the clear waters of nearby Rainbow Springs convinced them otherwise.

While raising Zoe, Diane became exceedingly proficient in Polaroid manipulation, particularly, emulsion lifts and image transfers. A cheerleader for the arts in Marion County, Diane has been involved in the art scene in various ways throughout the last twenty-plus years. She participated in MCA’s original Horse Fever and the 10th Anniversary Herd, contributing “Sunburst” and “Ocala Luna”. From showing her works of art, to becoming MCA’s Artful Gifts Gallery Director, to volunteering on MCA’s Board, she’s been supporting the arts in various ways, encouraging a climate of ‘art for all and all for art’. She believes that living is just better surrounded by creativity, culture, and the arts.

Diane’s had a bevy of part-time jobs while pursuing her artistic endeavors; tap dance teacher, photography instructor, arts programming coordinator and data entry for an adult education center…that all stopped in 2018 when Diane had a stroke. Strokes have a funny way of stopping the world for a little life evaluation and assessment. Now, Diane is a full-time artist, creating everyday and living life deeply. If not in the studio, she can be found at NOMA Gallery where she is a Co-Director. Her dreams of the future include starting an adult Big-Wheel club (that rides at night, lit AF), moving closer to downtown Ocala and living in a world where systematic racism is a thing of the past and there is cure for Covid-19 that involves cotton candy.

FL

Cardboard and tissue paper (from my ten year old stash and the Repurpose Project in Gainesville), on a rescued canvas that was warped, slashed and headed to the dump.