Diane Burns-Haussler - Visual Artist
A Native Californian, I was born in Oakland CA, May 28, 1948, and have lived in the San Francisco Bay area all my life, currently in Half Moon Bay for the past 25 years.
BIOGRAPHY
I have always been interested in drawing and painting, inspired by my father who was an accomplished artist and photographer. He also had a talent for writing stories and verse, illustrating his creations.
In 1982, shortly after the death of my first husband, (daughter Christine’s father) I took a leap of faith to support myself with my art and music, which I have continued to do to this day. I made my living from 1982 up until around 2002 doing street shows, art festivals, museum and gallery shows. The list is too long to list and I would be hard pressed to remember it all.
In 1995 I married my best friend and love of my life, Ed Haussler and moved to Half Moon Bay. Ed was always one of my greatest fans and support but during the 22 years that we spent together I made the decision to downsize the attention to my music and art to make room for “Us”.
I never figured I would actually retire because creativity continues to run through my veins yet I have noticed it taking a different course and slowing down to a pace more manageable and enjoyable.
BIOGRAPHY
I have always been interested in drawing and painting, inspired by my father who was an accomplished artist and photographer. He also had a talent for writing stories and verse, illustrating his creations.
In 1982, shortly after the death of my first husband, (daughter Christine’s father) I took a leap of faith to support myself with my art and music, which I have continued to do to this day. I made my living from 1982 up until around 2002 doing street shows, art festivals, museum and gallery shows. The list is too long to list and I would be hard pressed to remember it all.
In 1995 I married my best friend and love of my life, Ed Haussler and moved to Half Moon Bay. Ed was always one of my greatest fans and support but during the 22 years that we spent together I made the decision to downsize the attention to my music and art to make room for “Us”.
I never figured I would actually retire because creativity continues to run through my veins yet I have noticed it taking a different course and slowing down to a pace more manageable and enjoyable.
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VISUAL ART
I have shown in many galleries, locally and in the greater SF Bay Area and in Canada. Mediums: 
Batik - Dabbling in several different art forms over the years, I decided to hone my skills in the ancient art of batik, which is a complex medium, painting with melted beeswax as a resist and applying cold water dyes to natural fabrics such as silk. Batik is often associated with wearable art and fabrics. However, my works are fine art framed paintings. Many of the batiks I have created over the years are in a number of private collections in the US, Canada and the UK. My batiks have been selected 12 times for the prestigious Birds In Art exhibit at the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum in Wausau Wisconsin.
Ink pencils - After more than 50 years, dedicating my time to creating batiks, I discovered Ink pencils. These are vibrant colored pencils which, when water is added become like watercolor paints, only more intense. They have been a great departure from the complicated process of batik making. It’s nice to learn something new.
Jewelry - As 2020 began to unfold with the onset of Covid-19 pandemic, as many of us were forced into sheltering in place, I started to make jewelry from beads and pendants I'd been collecting over the past year. I got interested in making my own creations, necklaces mainly and then decided I would fabricate pendants, pins and beads from polymer clay. Working in this new medium is a complete departure from previous endeavors. I love rendering little animals and birds with this versatile clay referencing my knowledge of the animal kingdom when painting.
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MUSIC
I have practiced in the arts from an early age, beginning piano lessons at age 7, studied classically for a number of years, then taught myself guitar at 15 accompanying myself singing. On the music scene I supported myself and my daughter for many years, playing and singing at various venues, hotels, restaurants, pubs, weddings, parties and memorials. My mother was a talented pianist and writer as well. I augmented my living for a number of years singing at hotels, restaurants bars etc. 
WRITING
Having written my own songs, recording them over the past couple of decades I began to write poems and poetic prose as a means of processing the grief from losing my beloved husband in November of 2016. My 24 year old grandson died in early 2015, my mom passed in early 2016 and our 15 year old dog in July of the same year. The daily writings led to a published works, "A Widow’s Walk" in 2019. I included illustrations with many of the poems using the ink pencils. Being creative and spending time in that magical zone is where I find my bliss these days. These gifts have helped me survive great hardship and loss and I am grateful for them. The immense joy I derive from imagining, conceiving, composing and bringing into being is an ineffable yet tangible aspect of my life. I suspect I will continue to do so until my last breath. I hope so anyway. |