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Bemidji artist works through life’s puzzles with each whimsical brushstroke

Diamond Knispel smiles next to her painting of a black bear surrounded by wildflowers and butterflies
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Diamond Knispel - Facebook
Diamond Knispel smiles next to her painting of a black bear surrounded by wildflowers and butterflies.

Diamond Knispel added another layer to the gallery experience with a written component for each piece, nudging viewers to learn her inspiration and the emotions she untangled during its creation.

BEMIDJI — “Wild Whimsy of the Northwoods,” Diamond Knispel’s series of paintings and writings, invites viewers into her lively interpretations of Northern Minnesota’s flora and fauna.

Knispel added another layer to the gallery experience with a written component for each piece, nudging viewers to learn her inspiration and the emotions she untangled during its creation.

"Tune in and listen to the soft whisper of the leaves knocking together, the bugs and frogs creaking, the ruckus of rustling fauna in the underbrush, the plentiful bird calls," Knispel writes with one painting. "If you let your body relax as it absorbs the moment, you can start to spot ALL the colors and textures."

A painting of a doe; purple, yellow and white flowers, a frog, and a bird with colorful and geometric patterns
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Katie Carter photos
"In and Out of the Thicket," a painting by Diamon Knispel, is shown next to her written piece accompanying it in the Lakeside Gallery at the Watermark Art Center in Bemidji.

Channeling her creativity through dual streams allows for reflection and the surfacing of hidden wisdom, Knispel explained, providing a means of catharsis.

“I want to remember what it is I learned during the piece,” Knispel said during a Wednesday, April 19, Area Voices segment on the Morning Show. “Sometimes it’s short and sometimes it’s long and sometimes there’s two stories: the story of the animal and the story of me and what I went through.”

A painting of creatures and flowers in the
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Artist
"Daybreak" by Diamond Knispel.

Recording reflections and contemplation about her artwork is a longtime habit of Knispel’s. The written components are a conduit to more understanding of her art and more awareness in her life, she said.

“It’s like a love story that goes with each piece,” Knispel said.

Knispel said she cares deeply about the natural world, choosing to paint animals instead of humans.

“I think a lot of people are thinking about what humans think, and I care, but I also really, really want to think about what the animals are going through,” she said.

Within that focus and her colorful depictions of the Northwoods animals, Knispel said she subconsciously considers her human existence while bringing life on canvas to the creatures of the forest.

“Until I realized painting was doing that for me, I didn’t know what it was,” Knispel said. “But I couldn’t figure out why it felt so good.”

“Wild Whimsy of the Northwoods” is on display through April 28 in the Lakeview Gallery at Watermark Art Center in Bemidji. The exhibit previously appeared at MacRostie Art Center in Grand Rapids and the Hutchinson Center for the Arts in Hutchinson.

Listen to the full Area Voices conversation with Knispel above.

Wild Whimsy of the Northwoods: An essay accompanying the image of dawn in the woods
Wild Whimsy of the Northwoods: The essay accompanying the painting

Area Voices is made possible by the MN Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund and the citizens of MN.

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Katie Carter started at Northern Community Radio in 2008 as Managing Editor of the station's grant-funded, online news experiment Northern Community Internet. She returned for a second stint in 2016-23. She produced Area Voices showcasing the arts, culture, and history stories of northern Minnesota.