“I am an oil painter of small vibrant palette knife paintings. In my work I seek to create a sense of place, capturing the light, atmosphere, energy, and soul of my subject. With my knife, I describe what I see with layers of paint–sometimes loading it on in bold strokes, sometimes sgraffitoing by drawing or scratching into the wet paint–often almost sculpting the paint to tell my story. The subjects that inspire me most are waterways, skies and sailboats; animals and birds; and gardens and nature. My goal is to create a joyful and sophisticated work of art that speaks of the beauty found all around us, painted with love and thoughtful abandon.
“Twenty-one years ago, when I moved to the Eastern Shore of Maryland, I found magic. The waterways and big open sky tantalized me. I had not drawn or painted since college, but suddenly felt an intense urge to create images of the landscape. For Christmas of 2002 I asked my husband for a beginning oil painting set. He gave me one. Then I was gripped with fear. I was afraid I couldn’t do the one thing I most wanted to. I gave that painting set the side-eye and kept putting off opening it. Finally late one cold February night, I opened that set, read a little booklet inside and decided I could do this. My first painting was much better than expected. From there, I pursued painting with an intense passion, and studied with many of the local and nationally known oil painters who taught in Easton, Maryland. This journey has put me on a pathway of continuous learning and exploration, creating art and loving this painterly life as I share it with my hubby and cats, family, friends, collectors, fellow artists, and students.”
Award-winning impressionist oil painter Diane DuBois Mullaly attended Tyler School of Art of Temple University. A devoted plein air painter, she is on the steering committee of the Plein Air Painters of the Chesapeake Bay, has been juried into Plein Air Easton nine times, was a featured artist in the February/March 2018 Plein Air Magazine and cover artist for the July 2022 Tidewater Times. She has been juried five times into 25 Days of Minis, a festive online event. A certified Maryland Master Naturalist and docent, Mullaly leads nature walks and teaches Nature Journaling at Adkins Arboretum. As an instructor at the Academy Art Museum, she shares her love of painting, paired with all the technical knowledge she has acquired through her years of study. Mullaly’s work has a devoted following, and is held in collections in the United States, Canada and Europe. It is available through art events and festivals, in several regional galleries, and on her web site.