Diana Kohne
My paintings reflect urban Los Angeles, paying particular
attention to the city’s unique light and to its environmental
artifacts that appear to be from a passing technological
age. I produce landscapes and still lifes based on forms and
compositions I find while driving or walking through the city.
Recurring elements in my work seem like industrial relics.
Objects such as air-conditioning vents, electrical masts, firehose
hookups, and power lines might generally be overlooked,
screened-out of awareness, and dismissed as worthless, yet
they remain an integral part of daily life.
Gouache is a flat paint that texturally feels like the city’s
overexposed, dusty, baked exteriors. Using counterintuitive
color combinations and India ink, I find focus in the clutter of
urban sprawl, which I have come to see as beautiful and
venerable.