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DIANA COIDAN

Something interesting has happened to Diana Coidan's art career over the past few years, ever since she started painting pastels. She's winning awards left and right.

Not just one or two, but about 18! This includes two First Places , the highly competitive juried NC State Fair and Arts Council of Carteret County exhibits !  In addition to collecting awards, Diana has recently been juried into four national art shows and twenty regional shows including an exhibit judged by Larry Wheeler of the North Carolina Museum of Art.

Diana began as a watercolorist, then one day, experimented with pastels and “fell in love” with the medium. She became fascinated with skies, clouds and water, and her now infamous and detailed boats which she has explored in depth, the results paying off in regards to her accumulation of awards and juried placements. Her works are strikingly realistic with cloud formations ethereal and dramatic at the same time.Many of her sky/cloud/water scenes are set off by silhouetted foliage in foreground giving the viewer a sense of vast space. Recently she has been including figures with her pastels suggesting a story from the scene.

Since 1999 Diana has also had eight solo shows and if all the above doesn’t keep her busy enough, she is also an active member of numerous local art organizations.

Diana began painting at an early age outside of Pittsburgh and has lived in North Carolina since 1982.

AWARDS:

First Place
NC State Fair, Professional Pastels, Graphics - October, 2009
ART55, Fine Arts League of Cary, March, 2006
Art From the Heart - Arts Council of Carteret County - Feb., 2005
NC State Fair, Professional Pastels, Graphics - October, 2004

Second Place
FALC Members Juried Show-Page-Walker Art Ctr, Cary - Nov.2008
Art From the Heart-Arts Council of Carteret County - Feb., 2005
Pastel Society of NC - Imperishable Values, October, 2005

Third Place
ART55, Fine Arts League of Cary, September, 2005
Autumn With Topsail, October, 2006
NC State Fair, Professional Pastels, Graphics - October, 2006

Fourth Place
ART55, Fine Arts League of Cary, February, 2004

Honorable Mention
VAE - Pulling Prints Together, November, 2007
NC State Fair, Professional Pastels, Graphics, October, 2006
FALC Members Show, Page Walker, Cary, November, 2005
VAE - Little Power House, November, 2005
Best of State and National Artists and Artisans Juried Book Series, 2005
FALC Members Show, Page Walker, Cary, November, 2004
VAE - Annual NEW Juried Show, September, 2004
VAE - Let the Games Begin, June, 2004
VAE - Town and Country, November, 2003

Merit Award
24th Annual NATIONAL Competitive Exhibition, Hampton Exhibition Gallery, Kinston, NC - March, 2005

The Garden Gallery Award
FALC 11th Annual Juried Art Exhibition, Cary, March, 2005

Purchase Awards
Cary Visual Arts - FALC 12th Juried Art Exhibition, March, 2006
Dr. Herbert K. Land Purchase Award - FALC 11th Juried Art Exhibition, March, 2005
NC Azalea Festival, Wilmington, NC, April, 2003
Celebrate the Arts - Two purchase awards, Wilmington, NC, September, 2000
__________________

SOLO SHOWS EDITED
1999 Sertoma Art Center, Raleigh, NC - “Expressions ‘99” – November
2000 Bogue Banks Library Art Gallery, Pine Knoll Shores, NC – December
2001 Jerry’s Artarama Gallery, Raleigh, NC– May Demo in Fluid Acrylic
2001 Sertoma Art Center, Raleigh, NC “Expressions 2001” – August
2002 NC Academy of Trial Lawyers’ Raleigh, NC – Featured Artist – March-April
2003 Womans Club of Raleigh – February
2003 Internal Medicine & Pediatrics Office, Cary, NC Featured Artist - September-October
2003 Sertoma Art Center – Raleigh, NC “Expressions “2003” – December
2004 Brass Grill & Market Restaurant, Raleigh, NC – Featured Artist through VAE - March-April

2005Jordan Hall Art Center, Cary, NC – “Pastels Plus” - Featured Artist, April
2005 Gallery A – Five Points, Raleigh, NC - July, August
2005 Featured Artist – Cary Gallery of Artists, Ashworth Village – October 17 – November 12
2006 Mattie King Davis Gallery, Beaufort, NC – April – May
2007 Duke Health Raleigh Hospital, Raleigh – January – March
2008 VAE Exchange Gallery, One of four Featured Artists, February
2008 Herb Young Community Center, Cary, NC - November 25 - January, 2009
2009 Cary Gallery of Artists, Cary, NC - Featured Artist, January-February
2009 VAE Exchange Gallery, Raleigh, NC - June
Coffee and Crepes, Cary, NC, June

DUO SHOW
• “Earth Water Sky” – Rocky Alexander and Diana Coidan – Nicole’s Studio and Art Gallery – February 10 – March 17, 2006


GROUP SHOWS
• Featured Artist: Best in Show - NIcole'sStudio & Gallery - March-April 20120
• Fine Arts League of Cary   –  Annual  Members Shows    Jordan Hall, Page-Walker Art Center -  2000-2006
• Sertoma Artists Association – Annual  Members Show    Sertoma Art Center - 1999-2006
• Carolina Artists Studio Gallery, Morehead City  – Annual Members Show  CASG Gallery - 1998-2006
• Pastel Society of North Carolina – Members Shows – 2005 - 2006
• “Endless Summer Art Exhibit” – Nicole’s Studio & Art Gallery, July 2004
• “The End of An Endless Summer Art Exhibit” – Nicole’s Studio & Art Gallery, September, 2004
• “Going Home to North Carolina” – Nicole’s Studio & Art Gallery, October-December, 2004
• “True Tails on Cats and Dogs” – Nicole’s Studio & Art Gallery, April – June, 2005
• “Endless Summer Art Exhibit” – Nicole’s Studio & Art Gallery, June through summer, 2005
• “Location, Location, Location” – Nicole’s Studio & Art Gallery, December, 2005  through February, 2006


JURIED GROUP EXHIBITS
• National:  21st  Annual Competitive Exhibition”, Community Council for the Arts, Kinston, January, 2002
• National:  24th Annual Associated Artists of Southport July National Exhibition, Franklin Square Gallery, July, 2004
• National:  24th Annual Competitive Exhibition”, Community Council for the Arts, Kinston, March, 2005
• National:  25th Annual Associated Artists of Southport July National Exhibition, Frankling Square Gallery, July, 2005  (2 pieces)
• NC:  “Passionate Pieces”, Visual Art Exchange,  February, 2002
• NC:  “Spring Has Sprung”, Visual Art Exchange,  April, 2002
• NC:  Burlington Artists League “Small Works” (2 pieces) May, 2002
• NC:  13th Annual New Show, Visual Art Exchange, September, 2002
• NC:  Small is Big”, Visual Art Exchange, October, 2002
• NC:  “True Tails on Cats & Dogs”, Nicole’s Studio & Art Gallery, May/June, 2003
• NC:  “It’s All Wet”, Visual Art Exchange, August, 2003
• NC:  “Town and Country”, Visual Art Exchange, (2 pieces) November, 2003
• NC:  26th Annual Artists Exhibition, Raleigh Fine Arts Society, Gaddy Hamrick Art Center-Frankie G. Weems Art Gallery-Meredith College, February, 2004
• NC:  “Spring Fling”, Visual Art Exchange, April, 2004
• NC:  “Let the Games Begin”, Visual Art Exchange, June, 2004
• NC:  “Annual Juried NEW (Never Exhibited Work) Show, Visual Art Exchange (2 pieces), September, 2004
• NC:  “Dream a Little Dream”, Visual Art Exchange, (2 pieces) October, 2004
• NC:  NC State Fair, Raleigh (2 pieces) October, 2004
• NC:  “Primary Colors”, Visual Art Exchange, November, 2004
• NC:  “FALC 11th Annual Juried Art Exhibition, ( 3 pieces) March-April 2005
• NC:  “True Tails on Cats and Dogs”, Nicole’s Studio and Art Gallery, April/May, 2005
• NC:  “Summer”, Visual Art Exchange, July, 2005 (2 pieces)-on display at NC Academy Trial Lawyers Building
• NC:  Annual Juried NEW (Never Exhibited Work) Show, Visual Art Exchange (2 pieces), September, 2005
• NC:  North Carolina State Fair – (2) Pastels Accepted – Professional Graphics – Pastels Category, October, 2005
• NC:  “Little Power House” -  Visual Art Exchange, (2 pieces), November, 2005
• NC:  “Figurative Works”  -  Visual Art Exchange, February, 2006

AWARDS
• First Place – NC State Fair, Professional Arts Category - Graphics, Pastels - October, 2004
• First Place – “Art from the Heart” – Arts Council of Carteret County, Pastel Category – February, 2005
• First Place - ART55, Fine Arts League of Cary, March 2006
• First Place - NC State Fair, Professional Arts Category - Pastels, Graphics - October, 2009
• Second Place – Pastel Society of NC – Imperishable Values” – Award for Composition – October, 2005
• Second Place – Arts Council of Carteret County “Art From The Heart” – Pastel Category – February, 2005
• Second Place - FALC Members Juried Show, Page-Walker Art Center, Cary, November, 2008
• Third Place – NC State Fair, Professional Arts Category – Graphics, Pastels – October, 2006
• Third Place – “Autumn with Topsail”, 2D Category – October, 2006
• Third Place – 3rd Annual FALC Seniors Art Exhibition, September, 2005
• Fourth Place – Art 55, Fine Arts League of Cary, February, 2004
• The Garden Gallery Award – FALC 11th Annual Juried Art Exhibition, March-April, 2005
• Merit Award – 24th Annual National Competitive Exhibition, Hampton Exhibition Gallery, Kinston, NC – March, 2005
• Honorable Mention – “Town and Country” Visual Art Exchange, November, 2003
• Honorable Mention – “Let the Games Begin”, Visual Art Exchange, June, 2004
• Honorable Mention – “Annual Juried NEW Show, Visual Art Exchange, September, 2004
• Honorable Mention – Fine Arts League of Cary Members’ Show, Page-Walker, November, 2004
• Honorable Mention – “Little Power House”, Visual Art Exchange, November, 2005
• Honorable Mention – Fine Arts League of Cary Members’ Show, Page-Walker, November, 2005
• Honorable Mention – NC State Fair, Professional Arts Category – Graphics, Pastels – October, 2006
• Honorable Mention – “Pulling Prints Together”, VAE – November, 2007
• Corporate Purchase Awards – (2) Piney Woods-Celebrate the Arts, Wilmington, NC, September, 2000
• Corporate Purchase Award – NC Azalea Festival, Wilmington, April, 2003
• Dr. Herbert K. Land Purchase Award – FALC 11th Annual Juried Art Exhibition, March-April, 2005
• Cary Visual Arts Purchase Award – FALC 12th Annual Juried Art Exhibition, March-April, 2006

PUBLISHINGS / OTHER
 BEST OF State and National Artists and Artisans Juried Book Series 2005 by Kennedy Promotions
Honorable Mention – “Marley’s Bark”, Pastel Published with Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, and Borders.com
• Carteret County Arts Alive – Watercolor entitled “Turtles of the Sea” selected for issue cover, April-June, 2002
• Cape Fear Arts Alive – Acrylic entitled “Years of Care” selected for issue cover, April, 2002
• The Duke Raleigh Hospital 2008 Permanent Art Collection Calendar - "Peaceful Easy Feeling" Oil - July Feature

JUROR RECOGNITION
Martha Smith Brooks, John Cram, David Brown,Sr.Curator/SECCA, Lottie Campenella,Gene Thornton, Grace Li Wang, David Simpton, Melinda Fine, Art Prof./Meredith College, Jeffrey Fleming, Charles Joyner,NCSU Art Prof., Lee Hansley, Mark Mehaffey, Nicholas Bragg, Exec.Dir./Reynolda House Museum, Molly Miller,Tom Edgerton, Mary Jo Bell, Lauren Harry, Cynthia Aldrich, Bob Rankin, Don Andrews,Karen Shelton, Alison de Lima Greene,Curator/Museum of Fine Arts,TX, Dr. Lawrence J. Wheeler, Dr. Eric Denker, Jack Pardue, Brian Dursum, Kyle Highsmith, Betsy Dillard Stroud, AWCS, NWCS, Gina Cavallo Collins, Coord. Of Statewide Exhibitions, Eric McRay, Beth Owens, UNC Charlotte Adjunct Professor, Lenny Campello, Adam Cave, Gallery owner, Dr. Lynn Jones Ennis, Interim Director of NCSU Gregg Museum.


NATIONAL INSTRUCTORS STUDIES WITH/WORKSHOPS
Eric Weingardt, Watercolor Free and Easy, Karen Vernon, Dynamic Still Life in Watercolor, Jean Oakley, Watercolor Like Charles Reed, Jack Pardue, Plein Aire with Pastels, Mary Todd Beam – Abstract, Rick McClure – Plein Aire in Oil, Sean Dye – Oil Pastel, Patsy Skinner – Collage, Lori Putman - Oil, Sally Strand - "The Color of Light" Pastels

FORMER CAREERS 1964 – Graduate of Duff’s Business College, Pittsburgh, PA   Legal Secretary      Legal firms acquired paintings of my art; completed first commissioned wall mural in Pittsburgh, PA.   Commissioned to complete a marine-life wall mural in North Raleigh for local orthodontist in 1987 whereby I retained a permanent position working in Dental Administration. - Numerous watercolor, collage, and oil medium workshops in North Carolina and South Carolina to enhance my art capabilities with well-known instructors. 

MEMBER   
 Watercolor Society of North Carolina
Pastel Society of North Carolina
Fine Arts League of Cary, 2005-Chair for Annual Spring Show
Carteret County Arts & Crafts Coalitition
Visual Arts Exchange, Raleigh
Cary Gallery of Artists
Sertoma Arts Association