Often I paint what is in my life, sometimes I paint what isn't. Landscape is a subject I constantly return to and it's the moods and weathers of the hills of my native Peak District that influence my work. I also love painting still lifes, which I see as intimate landscapes. I had a science education and have always relished the imaginative challenge of ‘knowing’ what's below a surface: say the cycles and forces running underneath our hills or the flux of atoms and electrons that make up the apparent solidity of the objects we place in our houses. There's a tension between our longing for stability and the fundamental restlessness of the world and I hope to draw on some of this energy in my paintings. This means although the actual subject of a piece is always meaningful to me, it’s usually secondary to the dynamics inherent in the paint marks. I'm constantly looking for a balance between spontaneity and deliberation. I do some teaching, an art class and demonstrations for local art groups on request. Mind's Eye Workshops help artists who wish to access their own imagination in their work. I'm also a poet and am always fascinated by the differences and simularities between the two art forms. As a poet I have done many residencies, collaborations, commissions and performances, particularly drawing on science as a source of mystery and marvels. I have a Public Awareness of Science Award, for poetry, from the Institute of Physics and the second of my four poetry books, Maxwell’s Rainbow, received a Poetry Book Society Award. I had a previous career as a speech and language therapist in the NHS, then as a lecturer in the Dept of Human Communication Sciences, University of Sheffield. www.dianasyder.com dianasyder@gmail.com https://www.instagram.com/diana_syder www.facebook.com/dianasyderart