Diane grew up in a small town in 1970s Texas, picking blackberries, squeezing through barbed-wire fences, and crawdad fishing in the back pasture with bacon tied to a string. After many high-rise hair styles (it was the 80s) she graduated from Madisonville High School and began college a few days later. She went to Sam Houston State University for her BA in Photography, minor in Studio Art. It was at Sam that she fell in love with photographic alternative processes and painting in watercolour. This is also where she began making photo-collage works. She was known to photograph a Texan town, make prints of the buildings and then rearrange them in her version of what the town should look like. To this day, Diane isn’t fully satisfied with her own “straight shot” photography, it must be manipulated in some form or fashion. After college, she met her husband, Bobby, got married at the farm and welcomed Zoe into the family on an Easter Sunday. They all moved to Florida for Bobby’s work as a forester, and thought they’d one day make their way back to Texas, but the clear waters of nearby Rainbow Springs convinced them otherwise.

While raising Zoe, Diane became exceedingly proficient in Polaroid manipulation, particularly, emulsion lifts and image transfers and has won many awards for her photography.  A cheerleader for the arts in Marion County, Diane has been involved in the art scene in various ways throughout the last twenty-five plus years.  She participated in MCA's original Horse Fever and the 10th Anniversary Herd, contributing “Sunburst” and “Ocala Luna”.  From showing her works of art, to becoming MCA’s Artful Gifts Gallery Director, to volunteering on MCA’s Board, she’s been supporting the arts in various ways, encouraging a climate of "art for all and all for art".  She believes that living is just better surrounded by creativity, culture, and the arts.

Diane’s had a bevy of part-time jobs while pursuing her artistic endeavors; tap dance teacher, photography instructor, arts programming coordinator and data entry for an adult education center…that all stopped in 2018 when Diane had a stroke.  Strokes have a funny way of stopping the world for a little life evaluation and assessment.  

She again, reassessed her life and her art during the Covid-19 outbreak and decided she was not going to wait any longer to live the life she always dreamt of.  During that period she produced the City of Ocala’s Downtown “Small Spaces, Big Places” - an open-air diorama installation (and part scavenger hunt) of some of the artful and non-profit organizations of Ocala.  It was a gift to the city at a time when indoor galleries were a little risky.  Also during the pandemic, she helped Lisa Midgett, Mel Fiorentino and Isaiah Pepper start NOMA Gallery. 

She was a co-director until the end of 2022, having to halt her involvement for her health. It tore her apart to have to leave the most amazing experience she's ever had, but she wanted to make room for her next chapter...as an Arts Practitioner for Arts in Health Ocala Metro, a soul-fulfilling job she was kind-of born for. She grew up in a nursing home, her daddy was an administrative RN, and her mom an elementary school teacher. I mean, come on. It just makes sense. Being an arts practitioner in the field a few times a month allows her to achieve a happy art/life balance and flow, and super-energizes her creativity. 

Diane, a.k.a Lil' D, is a full-time artist, creating everyday and living life deeply.  Her dreams of the future include starting an adult Big-Wheel club (that rides at night, lit AF), living in a world where systematic racism is a thing of the past and there's a cure for Cancer and long-haul Covid (that involves cotton candy).