David J. Diamant

​

Kaleidoscope: Remembering Ellwood, 2020

I remember going to Ellwood Monarch Butterfly Preserve in Goleta and being fascinated by the tens of thousands of Monarchs. Specifically, the ginormous clusters hanging from the high branches of the Eucalyptus trees....a respite during the migration. It hasn't been like that for over a decade. The irony of the dwindling population and the symbolism from the Mexican tradition of Day of the Dead is palpable: the souls of ancestors who are returning to Earth for their annual visit.

 

This series, “Kaleidoscope: Remembering Ellwood,” visually explores the relationship of color, memory and intention. I remember looking up towards the blue sky, seeing the light through the slight movement of the animated orange spotted bursts of flutter in the breeze; the sound hardly distinguishable from the long hanging leaf rustles. Now I think of the Butterfly Effect: “the phenomenon whereby a minute localized change in a complex system can have large effects elsewhere.”

​

About the Artist

​

David J. Diamant currently splits his time between Santa Barbara and the Santa Ynez Valley. He is thankful for the opportunity to create in several different studios in the Funk Zone as well as his home studio. Diamant works with pen & ink, photography, digital imaging, acrylic and spray paint, plexiglass, wood, canvas and murals. He is available for commissions. After growing up in Santa Barbara, CA he attended undergraduate at University of Colorado at Boulder and graduate school at University of New Mexico for Organizational Communication. He returned to Santa Barbara in 2002.

​