DIANE FRANCHINI

 

My roots stretch deep into the soil of the Enumclaw Plateau, with my father’s ancestors dating back several generations.  I was born and raised in Enumclaw, graduated from EHS, and returned after college to teach English and black and white photography in the high school.

 My mother gave me my creative wings.  I grew up watching her perfect one art form after another.  From leather tooling to hand quilting, painting to paper quilling, I was always attempting to follow in her footsteps.

 My “formal” art instruction began with oil painting classes followed by acrylics, pen and ink, black and white photography, paper crafts, and floral design.  I have a passion for art to the extent that I seek out ways to make most of what I do an art form.  For example, after jumping into scrapbooking several years ago I found great satisfaction in creating altered books and journals that incorporate both the paper crafts with other media.

 I retired from teaching in 2003 and immediately began taking watercolor classes, a medium I had wanted to try for years.   It was love at the first stroke of the brush.  Lorrie Maras and Elaine Lynest have provided the technical instruction to allow me to soar.  I began making cards of my paintings as a way to share my love of watercolors with my friends and family. 

My husband, Steve, and I have two grown children (Brian and Laurie) and six grandchildren (Cole, Keely, Katelyn, Tristin, Emily, and Curtis).