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“My family has had a greenhouse business for several generations, and I grew up surrounded by plants and the rich smell of dirt. My paintings reflect back on those memories and impressions, while opening the door to nature’s grand landscape that is a shared Midwestern experience.” ― Diana Werts



My paintings celebrate the life cycles of plants and the diversity found within the Midwestern landscape. Energetic brushwork and vivid color come into play as I balance acute observation with abstract elements, and try to compose paintings that bring the intimate and delicate into a bold statement. I want my paintings to resonate with a sense of the seen and unseen in such a way that it prompts the viewer to do the same.

As much as I am moved by the natural beauty present in other parts of the world, I feel most compelled to paint the prairies that I have known intimately all my life. The rich soil, the rootedness of the native grasses, the plant companions that bloom at various times in spring and summer and the insects that visit them remind me of how interconnected we are; I am thrilled to be a part of it! The splendid visual aspect of the prairie combined with the liberating sense of its teaming life prompts me to draw upon my faculties of representation and abstraction to convey the sense of well-being that I find here.

I was born into a family of gardeners, and I find joy and satisfaction in growing plants for the birds, butterflies, bees, and humans; this also gives me a chance to watch life cycles, and to see a way toward better balance in our delicate ecosystem.



“Do not try to paint the grandiose thing; paint the commonplace so that it will be distinguished.”   ―William Merritt Chase