Today we’d like to introduce you to Diana de Avila.
Hi Diana, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers?
My becoming an artist did not happen in a traditional way. That is, growing up I was never interested in drawing or painting—nor was I talented in it. In fact, today I still cannot draw a straight line. My gift of art arrived suddenly and explosively as a result of a traumatic brain injury and the worsening of multiple sclerosis. I am known as an acquired art savant—that is, a person who suffers a brain injury and finds herself awakening to a talent they never had before. Additionally, I have synesthesia. Acquired savants excel in either math, calendar calculations, music, or art. When my gift “arrived” in mid-2017, I had this compulsion to create, to get the sounds and colors in my head out of my head. I went immediately to my computer, as that was comfortable space for me, having been a web programmer. I downloaded programs I knew nothing about and began to create. Little did I know then what the late Dr. Darold Treffert had to say about acquired savants: “They know things they have never learned.” And, that’s how I became a digital artist! No lessons, no training.
Before the arrival of my “gift of art.” I had been retired from several other career due to health complications – and now I wake up every day to create digital art. Since 2017 I have created over 1200 pieces and received local and international awards.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Ah, is anything in life a smooth road? Mine is the story of faith, persistence, and hope. In my recently co-authored memoir “Soldier, Sister, Savant” (Pen Women Press, 2021, available through Amazon), you can read about my journey, my struggles, and the eternal optimism that I possess.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Many say there is a religious, spiritual, other-worldly quality to some of my work. I agree as I am a spiritual person. Others remark about the whimsical quality of it as well. I agree—I love to smile. But I think I have really found my “tribe” in the “Techpressionism” movement started by Colin Goldberg.
What sets me apart from others is, of course, the way I became an artist. And I see myself creating more and more complex pieces of digital art. Additionally, I’ve also become immersed in NFTs and create on the Foundation platform at the moment. Some of my NFTs can be found here: https://foundation.app/@DianaDeAvila
The pieces I am particularly proud of are “Splinter Man” which is a newer time-based piece which won fourth prize in an international contest and also appeared in an NFT collaboration project with 40 international artists and “Journey With Morpheus” which has been selected to appear in several regional and national exhibits. There are so many other pieces I am proud of, but these are the first pieces that come immediately to mind.
How do you think about happiness?
Being able to wake up each morning with the enthusiasm, energy, and desire to create more digital art! And knowing my art has a positive effect on those who own or see it.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: http://www.dianadeavila.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_dianadeavila/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DianadeAvilaArtist
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/DianaDeAvilaArt
- Youtube: https://vimeo.com/dianadeavila
- Other: http://www.soldiersistersavant.com
