Artist Statement

My creative aesthetic is born from process, not reference. I’m a shape-maker, composing through intuition and tactile experimentation. The studio is both playground and laboratory—materials act as catalysts in a fluid, exploratory approach. I build language through layering, cutting, and recomposing and I shape the work as it evolves, guided by dialogue rather than directive.

At the core of my practice is a deep affinity for colour and an instinctive sense of how to use it. My paintings arise from imagination, the subconscious, and sensory response—a compulsion to move with colour, texture, shape, and material. I build layered compositions from elements I have cut, coloured, shaped, and imagined—an evolving visual lexicon in which past and present remain in dialogue. I build through rhythm—adding, removing, refining—until something unexpected yet resonant emerges.

For me, painting is a leap into the unknown, grounded in intuition and open to discovery. It’s a vivid celebration of what happens when instinct leads and form follows.

Biography

Diana, her art, and her husband Todd, were featured on Grand Designs Australia in 2013 when they built one of the world’s largest shipping container homes. In 2015, they made a sea change from Brisbane to the Byron Bay hinterland and founded The Newrybar Merchants, an artisan-run collective.

After selling The Merchants, Diana completed her Contemporary Art Studies at the Byron School of Art, receiving the 2018 Graduate Award. She has since exhibited widely across Australia, been awarded multiple art prizes, and completed commissions internationally. Her work is represented by Curatorial+Co. in Sydney and Leighton Contemporary in Noosaville. She currently makes art from her home studio in Byron Bay.

Diana’s art and homes have been featured in publications including Elle Australia, Belle, Vogue Australia, Inside Out, The Local Project and est magazine.

Follow Diana on Instagram @dianamillerartist