LYNN – Painter Diana Reyes is using her imagination as a voice for her community.
Reyes, whose solo exhibition is now on display at the Lynn Museum and Arts Center, has been painting since the age of 5. Today, she primarily works with oil, charcoal, and acrylic mediums, but favors acrylic due to its color quality.
Inspired by Van Gogh’s color palettes and Salvador Dali’s surrealist themes, Reyes strongly gravitates toward abstract styles with her art.
“I find abstract more interesting,” she explained. “When I paint in abstract, my imagination doesn’t have limits. I can paint anything, which is very different from realism, where you have to paint everything you see.”
While much of Reyes’ work is inspired by the culture of her home country Colombia, another common theme in her art is giraffes. Reyes remembers being in awe of their towering presence while at the zoo as a child, and she has often used them in her projects ever since.
One piece in the exhibit, aptly named “La Jirafa,” was created with a sense of urgency.
“I felt like I needed to create something right in that moment, but I didn’t have any instruments besides cardboard and a knife” Reyes said.
She then adapted by creating a silhouette of a giraffe eating a bullseye symbol, which represents the animal as a target for hunters.
Reyes also observes outside perspectives in order to influence her work. Her piece “Saxophone or Pipe” incorporates the expressions of friends and family who saw the project at its early stages.
“When you’re an artist, you can feel when something isn’t done,” Reyes said. “For this one, I could sense that something was missing. I like to see the people when they view my art. They don’t need to talk; you can just look at their faces. So I took their eyes, put them in my painting and knew it was completed.”
After leaving Colombia in 2016, Reyes kept a Spanish-English dictionary in her pocket with her at all times. However, eight years later, the pages started to deteriorate. Instead of discarding it, she turned the book into a sentimental piece titled “The Dictionary.”
The outline of “The Dictionary” resembles an octopus, an animal that was intentionally chosen due to its camouflaging abilities. Reyes identifies with the octopus’ adaptable nature, as she made major environmental adjustments herself when coming to Massachusetts.
Reyes chose to move to Massachusetts to explore more growth options for visual artists. She came to Lynn in 2024 because she felt comfortable with the large Latino community and also appreciated the way the city promotes new artists.
If Reyes had to name her exhibit, she would choose the words “Voices in Color.” While her paintings often have vibrant hues, the title also has her community in mind in light of the current administration.
“There are many immigrant artists coming to make good things in the country, but they cannot speak, as they are hiding. Voices in Color means I am representing immigrants who don’t have a voice,” Reyes said.
Reyes’ solo exhibition will be on display at the first floor of the Lynn Museum and Arts Center for the remainder of 2025.
