Bold lined coloring books and Crayola crayons were Dianna Fritzler’s cherished possessions as a young child. There was something magical about creating a color-filled picture where there once was none that made Fritzler a little giddy. However, she grew up thinking that being an artist was something that you were born to be – like being born as a turtle or an octopus. So, she dutifully pursued her other childhood interests in jump rope, bicycling, and Chinese checkers, never thinking that it would ever be a possibility to become an artist. It wasn’t until college that Fritzler’s art sojourn began in the photography darkroom at the University of Wyoming and then morphed into the advertising world as an art director and copywriter for twenty years. In between, at the age of 25, she sold her belongings and backpacked around the world for a year with the intention of visiting as many art museums and architectural highlights as possible. During this journey, her strong yearning to paint blossomed. Returning to the U.S. Fritzler unexpectedly fell in love (with a cowboy - of course), got married and had two little girls. And, as busy mom and business woman, she knew a formal education in art was not going to happen. So, she earnestly sought out multiple talented instructors to study with and surprisingly discovered that people wanted to buy her work. Twenty years later, she is a full-time artist and her paintings are in the collections of Children’s Hospital Colorado, St. Mary’s Hospital, Colorado Mesa University and Hospice and Palliative Care of Western Colorado. Grande River wine bottles also don her artwork. She is represented by galleries in Colorado and Arizona and teaches Cold Wax and Bodacious Blooms workshops throughout the country. Fritzler’s greatest honor is to spread joy through her paintings and teach people how to explore and expand their own creative spirit and confidence. She now happily lives near the base of The Colorado National Monument in Grand Junction, CO with her husband and Sheepadoodle, Hazel. Artist's StatementMy paintings reflect how I see life – somewhat chaotic, but always vibrant and joyful. No matter what medium I use, each painting I create begins with a vibrant patchwork of paints and wild mark making. From there, I begin laying in additional crazy shapes of color one by one. It is at this point that I let the painting direct me where to go next. This push and pull of color, texture, line and shape is a dance that infuses and challenges my sensibilities. When superimposing layer upon layer of paint and manipulating it back and forth, I retreat into the profound journey of living in the moment with complete awareness and (mostly) acceptance. My intention always is to sprinkle seeds of joy and help foster optimism.