Diane Tuckman (1935–2024) was an American artist. She is known for her

silk painting Silk painting refers to paintings on silk. They are a traditional way of painting in Asia. Methods vary, but using traditional supplies of 100% silk fabric, stretched in a frame, and applying textile paints or dyes are the beginnings of the proce ...

work and as an author of several books on the subject with Jan Janas. She resided and worked in

Lanham, Maryland Lanham is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Prince George's County, Maryland. As of the 2020 United States census, it has a population of 11,282. The New Carrollton station (the terminus of the Washington Metro's O ...

in the Greater Washington, D.C. area for many years until her death in 2024. Tuckman was born in

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

Early life and work

In an interview with ''

The Washington Free Beacon ''The Washington Free Beacon'' is an American political journalism website launched in 2012. The website identifies as conservative. Eliana Johnson is the website's editor-in-chief. The ''Free Beacon'' has broken stories about states using r ...

'', Tuckman recalled that while living in

as a child during

WWII World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, "they were shooting

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

girls in the street…My family and I escaped in 1948 and went to France." Though less harrowing, even in France "it was a very difficult time after the war, with ration tickets and very little housing." Tuckman moved to the United States in 1958 soon after marriage. Tuckman is credited as one of the seminal artists who helped to popularize silk painting in the United States through her books, and when her company (Ivy Imports) was the first US-based company to "import the French dyes needed to paint on silk." Tuckman was also the co-founder of the nonprofit organization Silk Painters International (SPIN), which in 2000 helped to organize the Second International Silk Painting Congress at

George Mason University George Mason University (GMU) is a Public university, public research university in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. Located in Northern Virginia near Washington, D.C., the university is named in honor of George Mason, a Founding Father ...

. SPIN now routinely organizes a silk painting biennial; the most recent one was held in 2018 in

Gatlinburg, TN Gatlinburg is a city in Sevier County, Tennessee, United States. It is located southeast of Knoxville and had a population of 3,577 at the 2020 census. It is a popular mountain resort town, as it rests on the border of Great Smoky Mountains Nat ...

. The organization now has over 500 members.

Books co-authored with Jan Janas

*''The Complete Book of Silk Painting.'' Cincinnati, OH: North Light. . *''Creative Silk Painting.'' Cincinnati, OH: North Light. . *''The Best of Silk Painting.'' Cincinnati, OH: North Light. . *''The Fine Art of Painting on Silk.'' Atglen, PA: Schiffer, 2018 .

Exhibitions

Tuckman has exhibited and curated silk art exhibitions around the Greater Washington, DC region. She has been referred to as "a silk painting pioneer in America, she teaches, paints, and exhibits her silk paintings, as well as promotes the art form through her educational programs."

References

External links

Artomatic 2017 Interview VideoSilk Painters International (SPIN)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tuckman, Diane Living people 20th-century Egyptian artists 20th-century Egyptian women artists 20th-century American women artists American contemporary painters Painters from Washington, D.C. Painters from Maryland Jewish American artists Year of birth missing (living people) Artists from Maryland 21st-century American Jews 21st-century American women