Artist Profile: Diana Toma

Transparent, Ethereal, Delicate Painting

By Ellen Samsell Salas

Diana Toma works quickly, sometimes completing a painting in 40 minutes and only returning later to tweak her canvas.

Its a creative unleashing, she said, a way of being when youre not caught up in anything else. Its delightful.

Diana says her natural inclination for painting is complemented by her willingness to push through fear and embrace the unfamiliar. Leaving her native Romania, where she earned a masters degree in fine arts at the Romanian University of Art and Design, she moved to New York and later to Atlanta.

I dont get stopped by my fear. If there is a glimmer of hope, I move forward, said Toma.

So, as a single mother of two daughters, she carved out a life as a full-time artist.

The myth of the starving artist is alive, she said, but I discovered there are many ways to make a living in art if you are open and say yes to new possibilities.

Saying yes has led Toma to showing her work in more than 100 international exhibits (including many solo exhibits), to designing graphics for corporations, and to teaching art classes. She also juries for exhibits and serves as the U.S. representative to the International Watercolor Society (IWS) and as the demonstration chair for the Georgia Watercolor Society (GWS). Her most recent exhibits include IWS competitions in Pakistan and Turkey.

Her passion for discovery means that she finds inspiration in many places almost all of them involving interaction and conversation with other people from her students to accomplished artists. While she initially resisted teaching, she now welcomes opportunities to help students become self-expressive.

I become a better artist when teaching.
We learn together, she said.

Similarly, when Toma does demonstrations, she welcomes observers questions and comments. In January, she hosted a delegation of IWS artists and reveled in exchanging ideas about art.

Inspiration finds you when youre at work. You cant sit and wait for it, said Toma.

Trained in oils and acrylics, she ventures into other mediums, too. Seven years ago, she happened upon the work of an online watercolorist and asked herself, How could I achieve something like that?

Now, Toma thrives on working in watercolor, creating her large, richly hued portraits as well as smaller landscapes and cityscapes, which cover the walls of her home studio. In deft strokes, she creates a vibrant, beautifully layered translucence of colors that conveys the essences of people and a sense of place.

Its all about transparency, letting translucence shine through. Its ethereal, gentle, delicate, as if a delicate part of your soul awakens, she explained.

Toma is now exploring pastels and hopes to offer a workshop as a way to further her own understanding of them. No matter which medium she uses, her paintings, like stained glass, explode with an energetic play of color and light.

While she accepts commissioned projects and teaches workshops, Tomas love of painting is what fuels her.

I paint because I truly enjoy painting not painting what I think others would like because then it loses its charm and zest but painting from an authentic place to preserve the integrity of the art, she said.

To view Tomas work, visit ArtByDianaToma.com or look for her on Facebook (Diana Toma Artist).