Michael Diven

New paintings, March 24 to April 30

Michael Diven, A Life in Colors, oil pastel & collage on paper	Michael Diven, Leaving Home, oil pastel & collage on paper

Artist's Statement: "Red is for Happiness"

"In ‘A Life in Colors,’ I color-coded my memories. Red squares are for happy times and unhappy ones are black. I painted red squares for my first seven years when my father was alive; the eighth black square represents the year he died. Of course, the births of my children warranted red squares. Yellow, blue, and gray squares are for more ordinary years. The man in the middle is a self-portrait. Am I staggering under the weight of life, looking to the skies for answers, or giving thanks? I keep gestures general so viewers can interpret for themselves. I am thankful that I can ‘see’ like an artist and share my visions with other dreamers."

                         ——Michael Diven

Michael Diven, a painter who moved to Chico from the Bay Area five years ago, says: "Inspiration can come to me when I’m doing something completely ordinary, but dreams, childhood memories and political issues have also motivated me to paint."

Diven holds an MFA degree from the San Francisco Art Institute. He has taught at universities in Nevada, Montana and California and has gained many awards. Praise for his art has appeared in Artforum. Artweek and elsewhere. The San Francisco Arts Commission, San Francisco Hall of Justice, and Peoples Bank of Seattle are among his many collectors.

M. Diven, Rain, oil pastel on paper	M. Diven, Changing Scenes, oil pastel on paper
M. Diven, Crossing Over, oil pastel & collage on paper
M. Diven, Reclining Figure, oil pastel on paper
Please contact Avenue 9 Gallery for details and prices. Below is a sampling of Diven's earlier work.
M. Diven, Witness-Endangered, acrylic and oil pastels
M. Diven, Witness-Burning Bridge, acrylic and oil pastels	M. Diven, Witness-Casualties, acrylic and oil pastels
M. Diven, Ancestors, acrylic and oil pastels	M. Diven,Traveling in Circles, acrylic and oil pastels
Art Adjectives, acrylic and oil pastels	Red Shoe-End of Innocence, acrylic and oil pastels
The above images are from a body of work entitled "Vision, Dreams, Memory," exhibited at Avenue 9 Gallery in 2004.