How Did I Get Here From There
                            Diane Kleiss: A Retrospective
                                    www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9hTpHtq9Do               

  The life of an artist is one of focus, dedication, failures and successes, but the lives of
  women  artists have extra levels of directives and challenges. Only persistence,
  perseverance and an insatiable desire to express their creativity could propel them
  forward. My journey is reflective of other woman artists who have braved the hurdles
  and defied the road blocks.

                  Tho art and art resources were non-existent in rural Iowa’s K-12 schools in the late 1950’s, I had been
                 'art driven’ from the time I could hold a crayon. I taught myself all the rudiments of perspective, shading, 
                  mixing paints, and composition from photos on calendars and in books.
                                   
                     Finally, starting college at 39, I took every art and art history class I could. With the help of some
                  great instructors my work now reflected the shapes and forms of my world. I began to approach
                  it from a story telling perspective and gained a new freedom of expression.
                                       
                  I never once stopped my art driven life. Over the years I have had 21 studio spaces starting with a
                  walk in closet in our big Iowa farm house at 13; then anywhere in our home that I could set up an easel;
                  to an old cabin by a lake; rented spaces shared with other inspiring artist’s; and now having room for
                  a studio with the textures of nature at my doorstep.
                                                                           
                                                    As I look back over the years of my changing styles and focus,
                                 my work has represented a visual life gleaned from the pages of my written journals:                        
                                                                          My Journey as a Woman Artist  


                         
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