Guy Diehl

Beginning in 1984, Guy Diel began his still life series, which entailed smaller and more intimate paintings. This enabled him to move away from his strict Photorealism style of painting to a more flexible interpretation of what he was seeing. In 1992, Diel began to concentrate on the book as a primary subject matter, with references to art history, which would include artists of the early Modernist period from 1900 to the present. His aim is to first capture the viewer’s attention with the objects themselves, then encourage the viewer’s further reflection on the work and its narrative. Guy’s concept of art-about-art has become the focus of his work. 

Diel got his BFA at California State University, East Bay, in 1972, where he studied with first generation Pop Artist, Mel Ramos. In 1974, Diel began his MFA at San Francisco State University. He studied with first generation Photo-Realist artists Robert Bechtle and Richard McLean, graduating with his MA in 1976. He has been in group and solo shows across the United States at institutions including the Fresno Museum of Art, Fresno, California (2018); Dolby Chadwick Gallery, San Franscisco, California; and UC Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, Berkeley, California. 

Text courtesy of the artist's website