Dyana Hesson
At Dyana’s studio, the rush is on beyond the holidays. She paints every minute possible. Her objective is to create gorgeous blooms on canvas for her annual art exhibit and Show Hope fund-raising event set for Jan. 14 at Bonner David Galleries in Scottsdale.
“I am excited about this year’s theme,” stated the passionate artist. Dyana’s latest floral paintings reflect the grandeur of Hawaiian plant life. “I had fantasized about going over there for a long time,” she said, “because everybody I know has had such an emotional response to the place.”
Last June, a friend invited Dyana and her family to stay at their vacation home in Hawaii. Thrilled by the rich botanical expressions, Dyana took more than 400 photographs, a resource she is drawing from for her work. “I am hoping to have at least 16 paintings done from that trip,” she said.
Those Postcards from Hawaii will naturally be bigger than life. Last year’s show drew a sizeable crowd of 150 people and raised $4,500 toward Dyana’s matter of heart, the Show Hope adoption charity.
“Coordinating the event is like Christmas happening all over again,” Dyana reflected. “It’s exhausting, but worth every effort. This event brings together people who love art or adoption, or who just know me.”
Dyana has supported Show Hope for several years. This organization helps prospective parents overcome the financial hurdles involved in the adoption process. The artist felt a strong, positive connection with the cause, as she was adopted herself.
Last year, the Thiele family, from Surprise, with four biological kids plus one adopted from Russia and one from China, was waiting to bring home a set of three siblings from Ethiopia. Now 11 strong and happily united, the Thiele family will be attending Dyana’s benefit again. Also present will be the Tarver family, also from Surprise. They are waiting for their child from Colombia.
“This year was especially significant to me because I connected with my birth parents,” Dyana reported. She had put in a search request with her former agency in January, and received her birth parents’ names by mid-February. “When the call came, I needed a minute to catch myself,” Dyana recalled.
Since then, Dyana has met her biological father, mother and some 40 people she can now count as newly found relatives. That family reunion in California, although at times overwhelming, was life changing for her.
“This time last year, I didn’t know anything,” Dyana mused. “Now, I have all this extra information.” The artist, rediscovering herself, found her own character traits reflected in her biological parents. She also discovered a tapestry of ethnic heritage, Swiss-Italian on the father’s side, Russian-German on the mother’s side.
“My parents, who raised me, were totally supportive of this,” Dyana stated. “I can’t thank them enough for directing, guiding and nurturing me with unconditional love. I was passionate about adoption before, but knowing all the circumstances, I have become even more passionate about it.”
Dyana Hesson Exhibits Postcards from Hawaii
Special Preview Night for Show Hope Benefit
Postcards from Hawaii will go on display with a reception on Friday, Jan. 14, from 6 to 8 p.m., at Bonner David Galleries in Scottsdale. This special preview night will be benefiting Show Hope, a charity providing financial adoption support.
The $20 cover charge includes musical entertainment, appetizers and wine, as well as a chance in a drawing for a limited edition giclee by Dyana. An original oil painting and a one-of-a-kind Hawaiian shirt designed by Dyana will be put on silent auction. Various prizes