About Dianne

Brisbane-based painter, Dianne Minnaar, is an artist whose work bridges two vastly different cultures. On the one hand, it mirrors her African heritage, and on the other, it reflects the influences and culture of her adopted country, Australia. This duality lends an unusual and exciting dimension to her work.

Dianne was born in South Africa. Her childhood holidays were spent in the African bush, where she learnt to appreciate the rich diversity of wildlife and landscape from a very young age. In 1982 she graduated in Graphic Fine Art in Cape Town and became proficient in etching, lithography and lino cut. Her early career was as a calligrapher and book illustrator and her paintings have been exhibited in group shows in South Africa since 1990.

Dianne's move to Australia in 2001 inspired her to begin exploring colour and subject matter in greater depth. The wide open spaces and harsh Australian sunlight brought a dynamic vibrancy into her paintings. Her Australian Flora and Fauna Series of oil paintings reflect a vibrancy of life and they have a remarkable resemblance to the technique of wood and lino cut. She also has a fascination for stone and rock artefacts. Dianne paints rock formations that reflect something of the eccentric geology of Australia. The clay stone formations and ancient sculptured boulders that seem to appear like slumbering reptiles on the endless flat surfaces of the Australian horizon are echoed in her large rock oil paintings.

Since her relocation to Australia, she has won major art prizes including the Pine Rivers Art Awards (2006) and Awards at the Queensland RNA Art Exhibition in the Flora and Fauna Category (2005 and 2006). Her paintings are represented in The United States, South Africa, India and Australia.

View more of Dianne's artwork on her website www.minnaar.com.au

Dianne's artworks are also available in Giclee prints. Enquiries fineart@minnaar.com.au