Biography
Dianne Munkittrick is an artist whose nature and wildlife art engages the viewer through texture, color, and movement. She grew up in New Jersey, received her MS degree in Forest Ecology from the University of Idaho, and worked in the natural resource field in her early career. After starting a family she returned to school to get her AAS degree in Graphic Design from North Idaho College and launched her art career.
Her paintings can be found in private, museum, and corporate collections throughout the world and her work has shown in such prestigious exhibits as Birds In Art at the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum in Wausau, Wisconsin and the Society of Animal Artists Exhibits in numerous venues. Some of her pieces are currently on tour with the “Silent Skies Mural” Project, a collaborative mural depicting 678 endangered bird species. Her artwork is featured in numerous Artists For Conservation International Exhibition of Nature and Art books and in the past NBC has licensed her art to use on the set of a pilot series.
Dianne has worked in oils for most of her career and her paintings have gained recognition both nationally and internationally and her recent artworks in paper sculpture have been receiving much recognition and numerous accolades.
She now resides with her husband on the shore of Lake Marion in a rural community in South Carolina.
Artist Statement
Although I grew up close to New York City my love of nature pulled me across the country to study forest ecology and wildlife biology in the wilderness of Idaho. My career in the natural resource field was just the beginning of a long journey and set the stage for what was to come later. The countless hours spent outdoors and years of observing wildlife in their natural habitat formed the foundation for my artwork. As I took up my paintbrush for the next step in this journey, I found myself at an unusual intersection - where art and scientific observation come together.
In my oil paintings, I deliberately ignore traditional wildlife art conventions. Rather than placing animals in idealized landscapes, I use abstracted backgrounds and experimental textures to emphasize the emotional aspect of wildlife encounters. These abstract elements aren't merely decorative—they're subtle reminders and indicators of how animals interact with their environment, each other, and ourselves. When I layer colors and textures, I’m recreating the complex elements that shape my view of nature.
My paper sculptures are a complement to my oil paintings. Inspired by masters like Calvin Nichols and Robert Sweeney, I've developed my own methods through extensive experimentation and research. Each piece demands intimate knowledge of anatomy and behavior—knowledge earned through years of field observation. Working with paper allows me to capture subtle details that can be missed in other media: the precise angle of a raptor’s feather, the downy softness of a preening bird, the tension in a deer's ear at the moment before flight. My goal is not anatomical correctness but rather to evoke the feeling of a living presence before it moves on to another place. Wildlife exists not in posed moments, but in states of constant subtle motion.
My work challenges viewers to move beyond passive appreciation of nature's beauty and to gain a deeper understanding of the dynamics involved and to create their own narrative.
Selected Honors and Awards:
2024 - Honorable Mention - Piccolo Spoleto Outdoor Art Exhibit
2024 - Medal of Excellence - Artists for Conservation Exhibit, Vancouver, BC
2024 - Merit Award - Society of Animal Artists, Art & the Animal Exhibit, Sioux City Public Museun
• 2014 - Birds in Art Exhibit - Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum
2013 - AFC Marine Explorers Expedition - Cayman Islands
2012 - Second Place - Wildlife Artist of the Year/Wildscape Magazine
2011 - Region I Winner - Paint the Parks
2010 - Master's Circle Paint America Association
2010 - AFC Exhibit
2007-11 - Paint the Parks Top 100 and Top Mini 50
2009 - Juror for Charlotte Art League "It's for the Birds" Art Exhibit