DROITWICH-based artist, Diana Curley is proof that it’s never too late for great public success in the world of the arts.

Diana, who is a member of the Worcester Arts Society, is getting ready for her solo degree exhibition: at the tender age of seventy and following almost a decade’s worth of study and experimentation.

She said: “I have been studying for a BA (Hons) Painting Degree for the past nine years which has been in equal measures, experimental, exciting, and rewarding all at the same time.

“I am very excited to be exhibiting at Hanbury Hall which is the climax to those nine years of studies, but also apprehensive too as I hope my degree show will be a success, and I also want it to be an enjoyable time for the visitors to Hanbury Hall.”

The exhibition is called Movement and Interaction- Painting and Sculpture Connecting and Enacting My Childhood and Recording the Passage of Time, and the location will be none other than the Long Gallery at Hanbury.

The stately Long Gallery, which is Grade I1* listed, lies to the north-west of the main section of the hall, which dates back to the early eighteenth century and the reign of Queen Anne.

Diana’s work, at first glance, can seem entirely abstract, but that would be to miss her sculptural use of 3D shapes, in a number of her works, together with her pleasing use of vibrant, vivid colours.

There are frequent suggestions of animal or natural forms: hints of birds and waves and plants, and this should come as no surprise given that she settled on becoming an artist at the age of three, when she decided to draw animals. Indeed, one her favourite themes is memory.

A spokesman said: “Memories of her childhood inform her practice to date and are connected to her father and mother who have left traces of themselves imprinted on her whereby she is now creating art through them. “The specific qualities of her work draws on the physical and mental capacities of both parent’s as she makes both two-dimensional wooden relief paintings and three-dimensional colourful interactive sculptures. The softer textile art relates to her mother.

“Diana’s innovative artwork encompasses the complex and fascinating aspects of her life and process. Her work is meticulous and methodical and during the last few years on the degree course has pursued a style and way of thinking about her work that celebrates her parent’s skills, but also herself as a maturing artist over a period of nine years.”

Diana was born in Meriden and worked in both the motor industry and as a foster carer.

But when she retired, in 2001, she knew what to do next. She enrolled on a BTEC diploma course in art and design and had many exhibitions.

She then set her sights on a BA (Hons) arts degree, the culmination of which will be her exhibition at Hanbury.

This will take place from Saturday March 17 to March 25, from 10am to 5pm, each day.

Further details about Diana at:

https://curleybluebells.wordpress.com/biography/