Music of the Spheres retraces and amplifies the path of my last Kingston Gallery exhibit, On the Cusp. Through my work, I draw the viewer into an imagined celestial world parallel to our own. The “spheres” are characters which echo the continuity, complexities and cycles of life. My title references an ancient Greek philosophical concept which connects the movement of heavenly bodies to a form of universal music. This interplay of form and sound is embodied in my work and painting process as I’m greatly influenced by the expressive feeling and structural framework of music—from the improvisation of modern Jazz to the contrapuntal elegance of Bach.

Boston Globe arts writer, Cate McQuaid remarked on my work’s affinity to music in her
April 6, 2025 Substack essay: “Diane paints in warm, singing tones, nesting and looping turquoises and ambers, amethyst and limes in voluptuous, curving forms. Her paintings feel generous and slow, as if she’s listening to the gurgles of a deep underground well.”

Bulbous forms occupy the frame of the canvas and suggests a visionary world beyond the picture’s limits. Several paintings within this series depict spheres framed by biomorphic, or concentric rays of light. In other paintings, spheres describe overlapping and repeating forms that suggest a rhythmic movement through time and space.

I take pleasure in the visceral and sensual qualities of paint on canvas. These paintings are defined by subtle modulations in color and tonality. This is achieved with slower drying acrylic mediums that enable me to work wet-into-wet, creating light to dark gradations that emphasize the dimensionality of the forms as well as the luminosity of color. I also rely on layers of translucent glazes to achieve a quality of light coming from within the canvas.

I’m interested in the opposition of ideas; silhouetted flat shapes are contrasted with dimensional forms and abstraction gives way to a shadowy figuration. Occasionally my work will reference ordinary objects such as a thread and needle, a shadow box, or a yellow ribbon. My work can also be suggestive of landscape as well as aspects of the female form. I’m more interested in exploring a ambiguity than the creation of straight symbolism.

My work is animated by movement and surprise: the jostling of forms in space, daring color, and a comic sense that provides a joyful buoyancy. I want the viewer to experience my paintings as reflecting the fullness of life, inviting contemplation and joy.

Artist Bio

Diane Novetsky is an abstract painter who uses bold, saturated colors and biomorphic forms evocative of a visionary cosmos. Diane’s work has been widely shown throughout New England including the Art Complex Museum in Duxbury, Galatea Fine Arts, Danforth Museum of Art, Tufts University Aidekman Gallery, Kingston Gallery, and the Boston Convention Center. She has been included in group exhibits at the Painting Center, NY, and Mark Borghi Fine Arts, Sag Harbor, NY. 

Recent solo shows include The Painting Center, NY; Southern Vermont Arts Center, Manchester, VT; and the Kingston Gallery, Boston. Her work has been published in Artscope, Art New England, the Boston Globe and Boston Voyager, and is held in many public and private collections. Diane resides in Somerville MA and is a founding member of the Brickbottom Artists Community in Somerville.