Diane Lynne Chanako
Diane Lynne Chanako is a highly accomplished American Artist, born in Philadelphia, who lives now in Sarasota. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia and the Philadelphia College of Art (Liberal Arts). In May of 2014, Diane Lynne Chanako completed her Master of Fine Art Degree from the Academy of Art University, in San Francisco, California.
“I want to be the best artist I can possibly be until the day I die,” Diane decided when she was 5 years old, and she never stopped. She started to draw with chalk on blackboard. Then at age 8, she began taking painting lessons in oils. As a teenager, she was introduced to watercolor painting. Diane’s approach was one with a “purist” point of view, and transparent watercolor was her passion. Later, she proved her colleagues wrong who considered “watercolor painting” not a major medium. She believed that watercolor had a great significance in fine art and could be major works of art.
Through years, Diane achieved numerous awards, but the biggest accomplishments was in 1976 when Diane won the “Gold Medal of Honor”and 1st Place, from the American Watercolor Society’s (AWS) 109th Annual Exhibition, in New York City. The exhibition was held at the National Academy of Design, the painting titled, “The Years”. It took Diane 3 months 8-16 hours a day, 7 days a week to complete this painting.
Diane Lynne Chanako’s Awards include:
Celebrating the Genius in Women, Women in the Arts, Orlando, “Vintage Girl”
Best of Show, Sarasota Visual Arts Center, “Fruitfulness” (It took one year to complete)
Arvida Prize, Sarasota Art Center, “Goddess of the Hunt”
Gold Medal of Honor, American Watercolor Society, National Academy of Design, “The Years”
Sklar Prize for Best Figure Drawing, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Annual Awards
Packard Prize, Best Zoological Drawings, Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Annual Awards Cadwalder Prize for Landscape, “The Years”
Catherine Grant Memorial Prize, “The Night, Seen
Franklin Watkins Grant, “The Night, Seen”, (It took 5 months, 8-18 hours, 7 days a week to complete) and “The Snake Painting”, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Diane Lynne Chanako also received Special Two Invitations for private critiques by the world renowned art historian and author Dr. Meyer Schapiro, Professor Emeritus, Columbia University, New York, New York. The outcome of meeting was a Letter of Recommendation to teach Higher Education in Fine Art, specifically at Ringling College of Art and Design.
Invited by Chen Chi, Chinese Master, to join his “Master Class”, summer of 1976, in Barse Miller Studio, Winter Harbor, Maine.
Diane Lynne Chanako had numerous Solo and Group exhibitions in Sarasota, Longboat Key, Siesta Key, Ringling College of Art and Design, SoHo, New York, Chelsea, New York, Dushore, Pennsylvania.
Diane Lynne Chanako gives Figure Drawing Sessions, Private Art Instruction and Private and Group Instruction of Drawing and Painting, all mediums, Beginning to Advanced Drawing;
Beginning to Advanced Painting at Chanako Fine Art Studio, by Appointment Only.
Address:
1747 Hyde Park Street
Sarasota, FL 34239
941-544-5227
By Appointment Only
You can read about Diane and her incredible accomplishments and see her beautiful art at her studio or on her website: