Using References To Paint The Details

Photographic references allow Diane Davich-Craig to hone in on the fine details of her paintings

After hearing several artists’ stories of how they became artists, I realized that there are many roads leading to that career. At first, I thought most artists go to art school right out of high school, then after completing college they join a gallery—a validation that they are an artist. While this may be true for some, there are many other variations on this theme. I grew up loving to draw, and gravitated toward anything artistic. We had a set of encyclopedias, and I wore out the sections on art (and the section on dogs). Upon finding my report cardsa few years ago, I saw that my second grade teacher wrote, “Diane says she either wants to be a musician or an artist.” So here is where the fork in the road was for me.