Art and Color 365

I was featured with my Scratchboard work in the recent issue of the Art and Color 365 magazine in a full page story.

As a Master Scratchboard Artist and member of the International Society Of Scratchboard Artists I’m happy about his opportunity to promote Scratchboard in the world wide art community.

A demanding and unforgiving medium, scratchboard consists of a wooden panel painted with a white layer of clay and topped with a layer of black ink. The artist uses sharp tools to scratch off the dark layer to reveal the white clay underneath, creating detailed images with bold contrasts.

This talented group of featured scratchboard artists exhibit the skill, patience, and creativity needed to render these remarkable pieces in their individual styles - from meticulous realism, to the colorful and whimsical, to beautiful wildlife in natural habitats.

Diana Höhlig grew up in the German countryside where she developed a lifelong passion for nature and animals and, even as a child, she expressed that love through art. “I find inspiration and joy in nature,” she says, “observing animals in their habitat and gathering reference materials with my camera and sketchbook.”

In 2008, she discovered scratchboard and found it a perfect medium to showcase her artistic talent, which draws on her knowledge of biology and certification as a field ornithologist. “I believe my years of study in the scientific field helped me to understand my subjects and create accurate artwork.”

Through research and experimentation with scratchboard, Höhlig developed her own style and technique. “I was enchanted by this medium and felt comfortable from the beginning, gaining more experience over the years,” she says. “For me, it is similar to drawing except that it develops from dark to light.”

In 2013, she submitted her scratchboard art to a juried exhibition for the first time and won the Museum of Natural History in Halberstadt’s prestigious Silver Owl award for Best Bird Painter. This launched her professional art career.

Höhlig participates in international exhibitions and is active in numerous conservation organizations to help raise funds and awareness for birds and wildlife.

In 2022 she was honored the title Master Artists by the International Society of Scratchboard Artists.

“In my artwork,” she says, “I want to capture the most minute details of nature, and a feeling of beauty, perfection, and natural spirit. Scratchboard allows me to reach for this goal, communicating my emotions about nature and wildlife in the drama of black and white contrast, light, and atmosphere.”

Learn more about Höhlig at www.wild-glance.com and @diana_hoehlig_wildlifeart