Peaks, Pines, and a Raven | Fall 2026

Peaks, Pines and a Raven featuring Diane Pike | September - November 2026

Opening: [Second] Friday Art Walk, September 11th

Our fall 2026 show opens September 11 with new work from Diane Pike, inspired by a four week camping trip through Banff National Park this past July.

Pike's paintings invite the viewer to explore the dialogues generated when the artist paints what is seen and experienced, not simply what is known. Her process involves a coordinated tempo of colors, shapes and lines, resulting in a sense of visual rhythm. Translating the beauty of Banff through canvas, paper and paint was a challenge, and in the end, she found it best to simply get out of the way and let the brushes take over.

Diane is a full time painter based in Longmont, Colorado, known for her vibrant use of color and bold, abstracted shapes. Her work is grounded in the Henry Hensche tradition, also known as the Art of Color Seeing, which emphasizes how light transforms color. This approach continues to influence her expressive landscapes and still lifes, giving her paintings energy, atmosphere and clarity of light.

Originally from Iowa, Diane moved to Boulder in 1959 and called Colorado home for 50 years before relocating to North Carolina in 2008. She returned to Colorado in 2020 and now works and teaches from her Longmont studio. She holds a degree in graphic design and printmaking from the University of Northern Colorado and began painting in 2002, embracing color as her central focus from the start.

Diane teaches workshops across the country and internationally, with recent locations including Texas, New Mexico, Alaska, North Carolina, Cape Cod and Ireland. She is a Signature Member of both Plein Air Artists Colorado and the Pastel Society of Colorado, and a former member of the Piedmont Pastel Society in North Carolina.

Peaks, Pines, and a Raven opens Friday, September 11, during the Niwot Second Friday Art Walk, and runs through the end of November.