About the Artist

     Diane’s art showcases the plant and animals of tropical Florida. Her love of her adopted state and its rich diversity in plant and animal life is what she expresses through her art.

     Diane Harm was born in Niles, Michigan on December 31,1942. Her grandfather was an avid gardener when she was growing up and Diane loved to visit his gardens. He was a great influence on her love of plants and gardening.

     She studied Art Education in college with both a bachelors and masters degrees but ended up with a career as an Account Executive for a large telecommunications company. While working and raising her family she occasionally took art workshops and retained her interest in making art. After retirement she became a certified Master Gardener in Dayton, Ohio. Plants and gardening have been integral in her development as an artist.  When she and her husband became snowbirds, spending winters in Florida, Diane enrolled in the Botanical Art program at Ringling School of Art and Design and became certified in Botanical Art in 2008 working predominately in watercolor. 

     In 2012 Diane attended the 20th Annual CPSA (Colored Pencil Society of America) Exhibition in Covington, Kentucky.  She was blown away by the versatility and professionalism of the colored pencil artwork.  She went back several times; she had found her medium. 

     By the time the Harms became full time residents of Florida in 2018, Diane’s art was evolving from classic Botanical art to include tropical birds and plants in more natural settings.  She has become  active in the CPSA organization and regularly enters juried exhibits, locally, online and the  ASBA and CPSA International Exhibitions.

     She continues to improve her skills by taking workshops from other prominent colored pencil artists. Diane is currently the President of CPSA Chapter in western Florida.  She has earned signature status in the Colored Pencil Society of America.