Diane Irby: "Just keep swimming"
"Psychedelic slumber" created by Diane Irby
BPP: Who are you? And who you really are?
Diane Irby: Who am I? I am Me. I am made up of all the little things that are important to me - like how I like my grilled cheese, all the things that have happened to me - good and bad, all the choices I’ve made - and didn‘t, all the thoughts I’ve thunk and all the emotions I‘ve felt. So you see, it would take me books and books to answer that question. And many books to come, since I am still on my way to becoming who it is that I am meant to be.
For right now, I am a mom living in Detroit with my two daughters & three cats. I am a multi-media artist, an avid urban explorer & Autism advocate.
"It felt like mmmmm" - created by Diane Irby
BPP: If you could say something important to others who were listening, what would you tell them?
Diane Irby: Just keep swimming.
"Ficher" - photo by Diane Irby
"Skate" - photo by Diane Irby
"Colours" - photo by Diane Irby
Diane Irby's portrait - photo by Sasha Lei Shafto
BPP: What is your true dream, the one that keeps you up at night and if one day it were to come true you would feel peace and calmness in your heart?
Diane Irby: My true dream would be to just continue to explore the world and live a creative lifestyle. I think I am pretty much already living my dream - even on the tough days.
"Yellow & Blue" - photo by Diane Irby
"Confess" - photo by Diane Irby
"Go sit in the corner and think about what you've done" - photo by Diane Irby
BPP: How is life currently for the people in your country and what would you wish for them and for the planet at large?
Diane Irby:There are some political goings-on in my country that I care not to discuss, but for the most part my rational mind realizes that things in the U.S. are terrific compared to other places in the world. At the same time, I think there are a lot of things going on that are wrong.
For everyone, I wish no one was hungry. It frightens me that food is used as a commodity.
"Cathedral" - photo by Diane Irby
"Refrigerator" - photo by Diane Irby
BPP: If you had a chance to be a child again would you choose the same life?
Diane Irby: I guess I would need to, in order to remain who I am. So my answer would be yes. Although, I wish we would have gone on more family vacations traveling when I was growing up so I didn‘t feel now that I have to try to get to so many amazing places in the seemingly short second half of my life. And I wouldn’t mind skipping over my 20s , if that were possible - not the best time of my life, for sure. It was all for a purpose, though, I know.
"Broken Doll" - photo by Diane Irby
"Keys" - photo by Diane Irby
BPP: What was the exact moment that you realized what you wanted to do with your life? How did you feel at this very moment?
Diane Irby: I can’t pinpoint an exact moment, but I had been in really poor health for a while at that time, taking care of people and letting myself get bitter about it and allowing it to consume me both physically and emotionally, drowning in my own feelings of unworthiness and feeling victimized by my circumstances.. and I guess that just got old. So I decided to do something about it. I answered my own question, “What am I going to do now?” with, “Anything I want!” And each day I started doing something to work toward being who it was I wanted to be when I grew up. Once I started doing that, everything else started falling into place. I started to get better at managing my health, I started to enjoy my life and the people in it, and I made life be what it was I wanted it to be, rather than letting things just continue to “happen to me”, as I’d done most of my life. This wasn’t simple, and I still work hard each day to maintain this state of mind. That’s all it really is - a state of mind. Some days are easier than others, as we all know.
"Anatomy fish" - photo by Diane Irby
"Broken Hearted" - photo by Diane Irby
"Northville" - photo by Diane Irby
"Projector" - photo by Diane Irby
BPP: Would you like to tell us something we didn’t ask until now?
Diane Irby: I think it’s important to live by example, and I hope I am doing that for my daughters. Not in a way where you never say the F word, or always go to bed at a reasonable hour. But in a way that you dare to do what fulfills you - whatever that may be, no matter what anyone else thinks about it. To brave enough to experiment, try things, and maybe even fail. And to let yourself be happy.
"Allie" - photo by Diane Irby
"Aubrey" - photo by Diane Irby
"Keegan" - photo by Diane Irby
Diane Irby at the age of 7 - photo by Mother Irby
Diane's drawing for BPProject
If you want to learn more about Diane Irby, visit:
http://dianeirbyart.etsy.com
http://www.facebook.com/TheArtofDianeIrby
Exhibitions
2012
Poacalypse - Apocalypse, Detroit Contemporary - Detroit, MI
Travelers on the Fabric of Time, District VII Gallery - Detroit, MI
Homage, River’s Edge Gallery - Wyandotte, MI
Women, Detroit Contemporary - Detroit, MI
Art Audio Angst III, Scharolette Chappell Studio - Oak Park, MI
Spacetimewarp, Funhouse Gallery - Detroit, MI
Purgatory II & Damned Bazaar, Tangent Gallery - Detroit, MI
Twisted Toys & Mad Scientists, District VII Gallery -
Detroit, MI
Art Audio Angst IV, Tangent Gallery - Detroit, MI
Poisoned Apples - Curator, Funhouse Gallery - Detroit, MI
2011
Motor City Nightmares, Novi Sheraton - Novi, MI
Oddmall, Clarion Conference Center - Hudson, OH
Atrocity Exhibition, The Rex Theater - Pittsburgh, PA
Thrash, Thirteenth Floor Gallery - Massillon, OH
Shadow Art Fair, Corner Brewery - Ypsilanti, MI
The People’s Art Festival, Russell Industrial Center - Detroit, MI
Music & Art in Goudy Park, Goudy Park - Wayne, MI
Keyhole Gallery 1st Anniversary Bash - Lakewood, OH
abnormal formal, art pool gallery, St. Petersburg, FL
Damned IV, Tangent Gallery - Detroit, MI
Victorian Opulence, District VII Gallery - Detroit, MI
2009
Damned II, Tangent Gallery - Detroit, MI
Wonderland, Tangent Gallery - Detroit, MI
Publications
Gore Noir Magazine, May 2011
Zombie Cat Productions, June 2011
Catapult Art Magazine, November 2011
Oddy’s Museum of Art, January 2012
Detroit Funk, January 2012
Galleries
The Funhouse Gallery - Detroit, MI
District VII Gallery - Detroit, MI
Thirteenth Floor - Massillon, OH
Keyhole Gallery - Lakewood, OH
Janice Charach Gallery, West Bloomfield, MI
Photos copyright by Diane Irby, Sasha Lei Shafto, Mother Irby. All rights reserved.
Beautiful photography. You definately have the eye for it.
ReplyDeleteSharon : )