Visionary Path
Vision Path Blues. @Diane Epstein
How my creative impulse led the way …
“As an international fine art photographer and artist, the story of how I became what I am today has taken many wild turns. My first real epiphany that my creative path was destined to follow in the footsteps of my family of artists and art collectors, albeit in my own unique way, was after college and graduate school, where I studied to become a therapist, focusing on health and wellness. I had started my own company at the ripe age of 21 — the “California Institute for Healthy Living.” I even had the pleasure of being emotionally thrown about, or shall I say challenged, by the founder of Apple, Steve Jobs. It was just me and him, and he wanted to know why he should invest in my programs, which included Communication, Stress Management, Creativity, and the Culinary Arts — all the things I was passionate about then, and still am today. Even though Steve Jobs was the same age as me, he was intimidating.
I realize now that I’ve always been ahead of my time. And I can see how that thread, pattern, path of my life has always included this envisioning power, and this deep desire to help inspire people to use their imagination, their creativity, their passion, so that they can create a healthier, more creative life for themselves — to love more fully, and to work with innovators, changemakers, those who feel they want to make a difference in this precious world.
I is another great turning point in my life, and for so many people I come into contact with. I feel this confluence, this whirlwind of inventiveness, this compelling passion for creating and implementting biophilic art and design, especially in a transforming, creative workspace and healing environments. I know that I am stronger and wiser now than when I started, and that fierce vision and love for design and innovation that Steve Jobs has expanded well beyond his life, is something I, too, feel compelled to pursue.
I have been immersed in my passions in a myriad of ways, primarily as an artist and photographer, but also leading “Life by Design” retreats and mentoring/coaching individuals.
This is where I fell in love with fine art photography
The seeds of a spontaneous, artful life were planted, and began to grow during my adolescence — when my art-filled, adventurous family moved from California to London, during the early ‘70s, when the freedom to hitchhike with my twin sister through Europe, with backpack and pittance to spend, was thrilling and seemed relatively safe. I hear from old friends that I was often taking photographs, but I don’t have anything to show of that time. Upon returning the following summer, for 3 months, I taught myselft to drive, and took off with friends in my handpainted yellow VW Van, designed with wooden panels and from California to the East Coast and back, picking up friends along the way.
Soon after my escapade with Steve Jobs, I ventured on my first solo adventure away from the San Francisco Bay Area. A I took off in my car, curious to see where it would lead me. Lo and behold, I landed in Santa Fe, New Mexico - a place I had never been. With a camera close to my heart, I taught myself how to see more clearly, both through the lens and in my own inner world, as I pursued this road less travelled.
I fell in love with the light, the earth, the colors, the textures, the curves, the natural land and architecture, the simplicity of life, and to my surprise, I fell in love with the life as an artist.
My professional art career took root in Italy…
The big adventure was still to come… Years later my soul was ignited, and I and my growing family took off across the world to Italy and stayed for 2 decades. I was a mother and wife - in 1995, after years of traveling to, and dreaming of moving to Italy, we finally took the leap and transplanted our two eager-to-explore spirited sons in tow - a mere 3 and 6 years old. This adventure rooted me deeply in Italian life and birthed As the Romans Do, our tour company, co-founded with my former husband, author, Alan, who sadly passed away in June, 2016. Our son, Julian, remained in Rome, and directs, As the Romans Do, and leads unforgettable, behind-the-scenes tours. Our other son, Elliott, stayed in New York after university — and continues to nurture his passion for food, both of them being culinary wizards. As you can imagine, my heart is still being beckoned to each of them — to the fresh bountiful table we often sat around — and to bella Roma.
Italy is the place where I was in the grip of heart-stopping beauty at every turn. And everywhere, I perceived this sweet reverence for imperfection and the patina of time, which overlay the ancient trees, the crumbling walls, and the centuries-old structures that still possess an undiminished poise and strength of character.
“Fresco Photography” takes off in Italy…
As I became more immersed in Italian life as a photographer, in 2004, about ten years, and halfway through our extended stay in Rome, I developed Fresco Photography — a unique photographic interpretation of traditional fresco painting, where I superimpose images by blending distinctive views of cultural and natural scenes with multiple exposures of textural elements, reminiscent of ancient frescoes, with a more contemporary application and felt sense.
Fresco + Biophilic Art merge. I discover love, naturally…
It was a great ride, but some lives must come to an end, and others need a fresh start. As so began this latest chapter in California. After settling back into a new life, I would seek to create images that not only reflect a deep love of life and the art of living, but which also become part of environments that breathe life and vitality into the people who visit, dwell or work in them. My creative direction involves connecting people with nature and bringing the outdoors inside the interior space.
Egret Skyline Taken a few steps from our home in Point Richmond, overlooking the San Francisco Bay
