27 July 2008

Featured Artist: Diana Le Page


Fifteen portraits of Meher Baba have been exhibited in the Meeting Place at Meher Center in Myrtle Beach, coinciding with Diana and Bill Le Page’s visit to Meher Center. Here are photos of eleven of them that I took. The following statement by Diana was posted on the wall:


“These paintings were done especially for this display. They are painted on paper prepared by putting acrylic gesso on both sides. Then I used egg tempera and oil paints for each portrait. I worked quickly on each one trying to get the overall feeling and not thinking about correcting the details.

“When I was young, I went to Paris to study art. I wanted to be an artist in spite of the fact that I was born with a visual handicap. I was apprenticed to two sculptors, and after several years I returned to Los Angeles, where I worked as a professional artist for fourteen years. Then in 1979 I married Bill Le Page and moved to Australia.

“The best commission I’ve ever had was to do the sixteen mural paintings (each 5 feet X 10 feet) for the Meher Pilgrim Retreat Dining Hall in Meherabad, India. My brother, Charlie Morton, told me about Meher Baba in 1968. He painted the portrait of Baba sitting on the grass that is in Beloved Baba’s Samadhi at Meherabad.

“I am so happy to have the opportunity to share these paintings with you all.”









Below: Diana's murals at the Meher Pilgrim Retreat, Meherabad

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thank you so much for this post. I am not familiar with Diana's work and haven't been to Meherabad in 2 1/2 years, so I haven't seen the dining hall. Beautiful.

David Raphael Israel said...

Delighted to see this, Kendra -- and finally to make my way to your blog!

I knew and liked Diane back when we both were involved with the Meher Baba Bookstore in Pasadena in the early 1970s (I as a kid in high school). Then I went off to college, Diane later emigrated to Oz, and it seems I've not seen or communicated with her lo! these 30-plus years.
I had seen her murals at the dining hall, but did not quite realize I was acquainted with the artist.
It's nice to see these more intimate-scale pieces -- and good to enjoy how Diane's work has taken these good forms.

cheers,
d.i. [currently in Beijing]

Unknown said...

I have been a close friend of Diana's since I met her in 1980 at Avatar's Abode. At the time she was doing these paintings, I visited her house on many occasions and was fortunate to see the work in progress. It is fantastic to see them at their final destination - I have not been to India, yet!


All quotes of Meher Baba © Avatar Meher Baba Perpetual Public Charitable Trust unless otherwise indicated. Writings by Kendra are © Kendra Crossen Burroughs unless otherwise noted.