Diana Watlington
An unconventional journey
Diana Watlington was a Bermudian-American artist
who died in 2023, leaving behind a vast collection of work never seen by the public. This is her story.
Diana Watlington in Bermuda, possibly in 1994.
Introduction
Born in Hamilton, Bermuda in 1951, Diana was an artist of great scope and ambition who lived a troubled life, yet managed to produce well over a thousand paintings. Her work encompasses landscapes, portraits, images of flora and fauna, and still lifes infused with personal and cultural symbolism. Across her many subjects and styles, the influence of Bermudian nature and heritage is always at play.
Early Life and Education
The daughter of Rosalind and Frank Watlington, Diana grew up in Pembroke and attended the Bermuda High School for Girls, eventually leaving for the United States at age 16, where she attended Wyoming Seminary in Kingston, Pennsylvania. From there, she went on to Ithaca College, where she graduated with a BFA, Cum Laude, in Painting and a minor in Music.
Concord Years
Her early post-college years followed a traditional path. Diana married and settled in Concord, Massachusetts, raising two children and producing art out of a home studio. She continued to pursue her education at the School at the Museum of Fine Arts, the Decordova Museum School, and the Cornell University Summer Intensive. A founding member of the Umbrella Arts Center in Concord, MA, she exhibited her art throughout New England and Bermuda, and her work was acquired in private and corporate collections in the United States, England, Canada, Denmark, and Bermuda.
Style and Themes
Influenced by both Impressionism and Abstract Expressionism, Diana’s art is marked by several distinctive styles: loose watercolors depicting the landscapes of Bermuda and New England; allegorical oils filled with personal symbolism; and the illustrative, often religious-themed notebook art of her late period.
While her work ranges in style and subject, she returns again and again to images and themes from Bermuda, drawing inspiration from photos and sketches she produced during annual trips to the island. Even her USA landscapes carry echoes of the scenery and colors of Bermuda.
Later Years and Health Challenges
Diana struggled with mental health challenges, including episodes of severe depression. In the mid-nineties, she abruptly stopped exhibiting or producing formal art, and soon after she walked out on her life, leaving behind family and possessions. Her paintings and belongings were placed in storage, the contents of which remained undisturbed until she died in 2023.
During the ensuing years, she crisscrossed the country by car, bus, and train, staying in weekly motels and homeless shelters, and sometimes sleeping under the stars. Her journals and sketchbooks, often mailed back to family members, document the people she met and places she visited during her time living unhoused.
In the last year of her life, Diana settled in Kittery, Maine. Increasingly reclusive, she spent long days in isolation, sometimes walking local roads to visit nearby churches and synagogues. Those who met her described her as a seeker, often asking questions and searching for the deeper meaning behind things. She died on April 16, 2023 after suffering a sudden cerebral hemorrhage.
The Collection
The art recovered from Diana's storage units includes almost one thousand paintings and sketches, one hundred notebooks, and many bins full of secondary material, much of it still in the process of being documented and archived. This website compiles a selection of her most polished work.
Born in Hamilton, Bermuda in 1951, Diana was an artist of great scope and ambition who lived a troubled life, yet managed to produce well over a thousand paintings. Her work encompasses landscapes, portraits, images of flora and fauna, and still lifes infused with personal and cultural symbolism. Across her many subjects and styles, the influence of Bermudian nature and heritage is always at play.
Early Life and Education
The daughter of Rosalind and Frank Watlington, Diana grew up in Pembroke and attended the Bermuda High School for Girls, eventually leaving for the United States at age 16, where she attended Wyoming Seminary in Kingston, Pennsylvania. From there, she went on to Ithaca College, where she graduated with a BFA, Cum Laude, in Painting and a minor in Music.
Concord Years
Her early post-college years followed a traditional path. Diana married and settled in Concord, Massachusetts, raising two children and producing art out of a home studio. She continued to pursue her education at the School at the Museum of Fine Arts, the Decordova Museum School, and the Cornell University Summer Intensive. A founding member of the Umbrella Arts Center in Concord, MA, she exhibited her art throughout New England and Bermuda, and her work was acquired in private and corporate collections in the United States, England, Canada, Denmark, and Bermuda.
Style and Themes
Influenced by both Impressionism and Abstract Expressionism, Diana’s art is marked by several distinctive styles: loose watercolors depicting the landscapes of Bermuda and New England; allegorical oils filled with personal symbolism; and the illustrative, often religious-themed notebook art of her late period.
While her work ranges in style and subject, she returns again and again to images and themes from Bermuda, drawing inspiration from photos and sketches she produced during annual trips to the island. Even her USA landscapes carry echoes of the scenery and colors of Bermuda.
Later Years and Health Challenges
Diana struggled with mental health challenges, including episodes of severe depression. In the mid-nineties, she abruptly stopped exhibiting or producing formal art, and soon after she walked out on her life, leaving behind family and possessions. Her paintings and belongings were placed in storage, the contents of which remained undisturbed until she died in 2023.
During the ensuing years, she crisscrossed the country by car, bus, and train, staying in weekly motels and homeless shelters, and sometimes sleeping under the stars. Her journals and sketchbooks, often mailed back to family members, document the people she met and places she visited during her time living unhoused.
In the last year of her life, Diana settled in Kittery, Maine. Increasingly reclusive, she spent long days in isolation, sometimes walking local roads to visit nearby churches and synagogues. Those who met her described her as a seeker, often asking questions and searching for the deeper meaning behind things. She died on April 16, 2023 after suffering a sudden cerebral hemorrhage.
The Collection
The art recovered from Diana's storage units includes almost one thousand paintings and sketches, one hundred notebooks, and many bins full of secondary material, much of it still in the process of being documented and archived. This website compiles a selection of her most polished work.
Diana Watlington, mid-to-late nineties.
EXHIBITION HISTORY AND RESUME
GALLERY REPRESENTATION
Art Investment, Inc. Boston, MA
Bayview Gallery, Portland, Maine
Bermuda Arts Centre at Dockyard, Mangrove Bay, Bermuda
The Bridge House Gallery, St. George’s, Bermuda
The Copley Society, Boston, MA
C.R. Fine Arts, Boston, MA
Frame-ables, Concord, MA
The Gallery, Hamilton, Bermuda
Gallery on the Green, Lexington, MA
Henderson Gallery, Concord, MA
Jan Weiss Gallery, NY
J.J. Powers Gallery, Acton, MA
JRS Fine Art Gallery, Providence, RI
Lupoukine Gallery, Boston, MA
McGowan Fine Art Gallery, Concord, NH
Morning Light Gallery, Dockyard, Mangrove Bay, Bermuda
The Open Gallery, Cambridge, MA
Piano Dave’s Gallery, Cambridge, MA
Plains Gallery, Portland, ME
Reminis, Winston-Salem, NC
Van Buren / Brazelton / Cutting Gallery, Cambridge, MA
Windjammer Gallery, Newport, RI and Hamilton, Bermuda
CORPORATE DEALERS
Art 3, Manchester, NH
Art Advisory Boston, Quincy, MA
Diana Levine Fine Arts, Boston Design Centre
Ginsberg Hallowell & Associates, Boston, MA
Mary McGowen Fine Arts, Concord, NH
Museum Editions, NY, NY
Boston Corporate Art, Woburn, MA
EXHIBITIONS + DISPLAYS
1995
--Z’arts Presents: Effective Light: Contemporary Artists Explore Light, The French
Library and Cultural Center, Boston, MA June 1–July 28. (brochure, press release)
--International Cafe, Cambridge, MA.
1994
--A Celebration of Excellence: The Best of Bermuda, Our First Juried Biennial Exhibition,
Bermuda National Gallery of Art, City Hall & Arts Centre, Hamilton, Bermuda, June.
(postcard, brochure)
--One-Woman Show, Coming Full Circle, Henderson Gallery, Concord, MA, Spring.
(brochure)
1993
--One-Woman Show, Cafe Pierrot.
--Two-Person Show, Portraits: Outer and Inner Piano Dave’s Gallery, Cambridge, MA,
November 19–December 4. (postcard)
--Members’ Annual Show, The Bermuda Arts Centre at Dockyard, Mangrove Bay,
Bermuda, September 21–October 30. (brochure and press clipping)
--Pinetree Gallery, Portland, Maine. (consigned–agreement)
--Harvard Museum Employee Show, Fogg Museum, Cambridge, MA
1992
--Four Arts Bookstore, Waltham, MA.
--Opening Show, Morning Light Gallery, Dockyard, Mangrove Bay, Bermuda, April–May.
(press clipping)
--The Open Gallery, Cambridge, MA.
1991
--Art USA, Brattle Street, Cambridge, MA.
--New Spaces, The Gallery of Art Investment, Boston, MA.
1990
--Group Show, Flux Gallery, Providence, RI.
--Monet Cooperative Working Show, Chestnut Hill Mall, Chestnut Hill, MA.
--Members’ Show, Bermuda Art Association, Arts Centre at Dockyard, Mangrove Bay,
Bermuda. (press clipping)
--Windjammer Gallery, Hamilton, Bermuda.
1989
--Bermuda Art Center at Dockyard, Mangrove Bay, Bermuda.
--Sam’s Choice, Bermuda Society of Arts, City Hall, Hamilton, Bermuda, December.
(press clipping, price list)
--One-Woman Show: An Artist’s Search for a Lifeline, The Blanchard Trust Gallery,
Umbrella Arts Center, Concord, MA, June 7–July 14 (postcard, press clipping)
--Art 3 Work on Display, Manchester Savings Bank, Manchester, NH, March.
(press clipping)
--Trident Bookstore Cafe, Newbury Street, Boston, MA
--Juried Summer Show, Concord Art Association, Concord, MA
--Temple Beth El, Framingham, MA
1988
--One-Woman Show, Spirit of Autumn, Harvard Bookstore Cafe, Newbury Street, Boston,
MA, Oct. 3–Nov. 28. (postcard)
--Faculty Show, Brookline Arts Center, Brookline, MA.
--Group Show, The Society of Arts and Crafts, Boston, MA, November. (letter)
--One-Woman Show, Diana Ruetenik: Watercolors. J.J. Powers Gallery II, Acton, MA,
March 13–April 10. (postcard)
--Arnold Arboretum Lilac Collection
--Juried Selection: The Channel 2 Auction’s Two Collection, Boston, MA, June. (press
clipping)
1987
--In Defense of Sacred Lands, Harcus Gallery, Boston, MA, Nov. 21–Dec.3. (brochure,
exhibit guide, press clipping)
--Botanicals, Group Show, J.J. Powers Gallery II, Acton, MA, April 12–May 12. (brochure)
--Visions and Versions II, The Fenn School, Concord, MA, March 20–26. (press clipping,
brochure)
--Concord Art Assoc. with Emerson Umbrella Artists
--Brookline Arts Center, Brookline, MA. Dec. 10-13.
--Christmas Sale, Boston Museum School, Boston, MA, Dec. 5–14.
1986
--International Student Show, School at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA
--4th Annual Prize Competition, Provincetown Art Association, Provincetown, MA, Aug.
22–Sept. 28. (letter)
--Danforth Museum School, Framingham, MA
1985
--Spring Fest (12-person show), Cambridge Art Association, Cambridge, MA
--The 1985 New England Open: An Open Juried Exhibition of Work By Artists Residing in
--The New England Area, The Grove Street Gallery, Worcester, MA, Jan. 4–27.
--The Bridge House Gallery, St. George, Bermuda.
--Group Show, Concord Public Library, Concord, MA.
--Landscape Cambridge Art Association, Cambridge, MA.
--Windjammer Gallery, Newport, RI and Hamilton, Bermuda.
1984
--2nd Prize, Heat, National Competition, Bromfield Gallery, Boston, MA, July. (letter)
--Annual Fine Art Exhibit and Sale, Museum School, Boston. (1984–87) (press clipping)
--The Great Saltbox Show, West Hartford, Connecticut.
1883
--The Grange Gallery (three-person show), Carlisle, MA.
--Juried Show, Arts Wayland.
1982
--Juried Show, Sudbury Art Association.
--Members’ Spring Show, Bermuda Society of the Arts, City Hall, Hamilton, Bermuda,
--March 15–April 17. (press clipping)
1981
--Juried Evening School Show, School of the Museum of Fine Arts.
1974
--Three-Woman Show, Bermuda Society of the Arts, City Hall, Hamilton Bermuda, Apr.
29–May 17. (press clipping, invitation)
--One-Woman Show, Concord Art Association, 51 Walden St., Concord, MA.
--Group Show, Boston Visual Art’s Union, BVAU Gallery, Boston, MA.
1973
--The Show: Inaugural Exhibition at the New Arts and Science Center Featuring Works
by the Boston Visual Artists Union, Nashua, NH November 15–December 28. (brochure)
--Members’ Show, Boston Visual Artist’s Union, Cyclorama, Boston, MA.
--Members’ Autumn Exhibition, Bermuda Society of the Arts, City Hall Gallery, Hamilton,
Bermuda, November. (press clipping)
CORPORATE COLLECTIONS
Adams, Harcus and Hill, Boston
Arthur Goldberg Collection
Bank of N.T. Butterfield, Bermuda
Beth Israel Hospital / Radiology, Boston
Blue Cross/Blue Shield
Charette
Deloitte & Touche
Fidelity Management Research, Boston
Gillette Corporation
Hale & Dorr
Joann Fabrics
New England Medical Center, Boston
New York Times, NYC
Schinnerer & Co., Bermuda
United Savings Bank, Manchester, NH
PRIVATE COLLECTIONS
United States, England, Canada, Denmark, Bermuda
TEACHING
1987-88 Brookline Arts Center, Brookline, MA
1986-7 Danforth Museum School, Framingham, MA
1984+ Drawing and Intro to Watercolor for Ages 7-12, Umbrella Arts Center, Concord, MA
1983 Landscape Painting, Oil and Watercolor, Concord Adult Education Program,
Concord, MA
EDUCATION
1986-7 School at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA. Instructors Gerry Bergstein, Bill Flynn,
Tim Nichols.
Decordova Museum School, Lincoln, MA. Instructor Innessa Derkatesch.
1981 School at the Museum of Fine Arts. Instructor Timothy Nichols.
1977 Massachusetts College of Art. Instructor Dean Nimmer.
1976 Decordova Museum School. Instructor Innessa Derkatsch.
1973 Ithaca College, BFA, Major in Painting, Cum Laude, Minor in Music. Professors Ed
Thompson, Gary Wojcik.
1971 Cornell University Summer Intensive. Instructor Jack Bosson.
OTHER
NOTE
Diana signed her work with many variations on her name, perhaps reflecting her changing identity and search for an authentic self. Her signatures include the following:
Diana Watlington
Diana Ruetenik
Diana Rootnik
Diana Watlington Ruetenik
Diana TW Ruetenik
Diana T Watlington Ruetenik
Diana Watlington Rootnik
Diana T. Watlington Rootnik
Ruetenik
Diana
DTWR
DRW
DWR
DR
GALLERY REPRESENTATION
Art Investment, Inc. Boston, MA
Bayview Gallery, Portland, Maine
Bermuda Arts Centre at Dockyard, Mangrove Bay, Bermuda
The Bridge House Gallery, St. George’s, Bermuda
The Copley Society, Boston, MA
C.R. Fine Arts, Boston, MA
Frame-ables, Concord, MA
The Gallery, Hamilton, Bermuda
Gallery on the Green, Lexington, MA
Henderson Gallery, Concord, MA
Jan Weiss Gallery, NY
J.J. Powers Gallery, Acton, MA
JRS Fine Art Gallery, Providence, RI
Lupoukine Gallery, Boston, MA
McGowan Fine Art Gallery, Concord, NH
Morning Light Gallery, Dockyard, Mangrove Bay, Bermuda
The Open Gallery, Cambridge, MA
Piano Dave’s Gallery, Cambridge, MA
Plains Gallery, Portland, ME
Reminis, Winston-Salem, NC
Van Buren / Brazelton / Cutting Gallery, Cambridge, MA
Windjammer Gallery, Newport, RI and Hamilton, Bermuda
CORPORATE DEALERS
Art 3, Manchester, NH
Art Advisory Boston, Quincy, MA
Diana Levine Fine Arts, Boston Design Centre
Ginsberg Hallowell & Associates, Boston, MA
Mary McGowen Fine Arts, Concord, NH
Museum Editions, NY, NY
Boston Corporate Art, Woburn, MA
EXHIBITIONS + DISPLAYS
1995
--Z’arts Presents: Effective Light: Contemporary Artists Explore Light, The French
Library and Cultural Center, Boston, MA June 1–July 28. (brochure, press release)
--International Cafe, Cambridge, MA.
1994
--A Celebration of Excellence: The Best of Bermuda, Our First Juried Biennial Exhibition,
Bermuda National Gallery of Art, City Hall & Arts Centre, Hamilton, Bermuda, June.
(postcard, brochure)
--One-Woman Show, Coming Full Circle, Henderson Gallery, Concord, MA, Spring.
(brochure)
1993
--One-Woman Show, Cafe Pierrot.
--Two-Person Show, Portraits: Outer and Inner Piano Dave’s Gallery, Cambridge, MA,
November 19–December 4. (postcard)
--Members’ Annual Show, The Bermuda Arts Centre at Dockyard, Mangrove Bay,
Bermuda, September 21–October 30. (brochure and press clipping)
--Pinetree Gallery, Portland, Maine. (consigned–agreement)
--Harvard Museum Employee Show, Fogg Museum, Cambridge, MA
1992
--Four Arts Bookstore, Waltham, MA.
--Opening Show, Morning Light Gallery, Dockyard, Mangrove Bay, Bermuda, April–May.
(press clipping)
--The Open Gallery, Cambridge, MA.
1991
--Art USA, Brattle Street, Cambridge, MA.
--New Spaces, The Gallery of Art Investment, Boston, MA.
1990
--Group Show, Flux Gallery, Providence, RI.
--Monet Cooperative Working Show, Chestnut Hill Mall, Chestnut Hill, MA.
--Members’ Show, Bermuda Art Association, Arts Centre at Dockyard, Mangrove Bay,
Bermuda. (press clipping)
--Windjammer Gallery, Hamilton, Bermuda.
1989
--Bermuda Art Center at Dockyard, Mangrove Bay, Bermuda.
--Sam’s Choice, Bermuda Society of Arts, City Hall, Hamilton, Bermuda, December.
(press clipping, price list)
--One-Woman Show: An Artist’s Search for a Lifeline, The Blanchard Trust Gallery,
Umbrella Arts Center, Concord, MA, June 7–July 14 (postcard, press clipping)
--Art 3 Work on Display, Manchester Savings Bank, Manchester, NH, March.
(press clipping)
--Trident Bookstore Cafe, Newbury Street, Boston, MA
--Juried Summer Show, Concord Art Association, Concord, MA
--Temple Beth El, Framingham, MA
1988
--One-Woman Show, Spirit of Autumn, Harvard Bookstore Cafe, Newbury Street, Boston,
MA, Oct. 3–Nov. 28. (postcard)
--Faculty Show, Brookline Arts Center, Brookline, MA.
--Group Show, The Society of Arts and Crafts, Boston, MA, November. (letter)
--One-Woman Show, Diana Ruetenik: Watercolors. J.J. Powers Gallery II, Acton, MA,
March 13–April 10. (postcard)
--Arnold Arboretum Lilac Collection
--Juried Selection: The Channel 2 Auction’s Two Collection, Boston, MA, June. (press
clipping)
1987
--In Defense of Sacred Lands, Harcus Gallery, Boston, MA, Nov. 21–Dec.3. (brochure,
exhibit guide, press clipping)
--Botanicals, Group Show, J.J. Powers Gallery II, Acton, MA, April 12–May 12. (brochure)
--Visions and Versions II, The Fenn School, Concord, MA, March 20–26. (press clipping,
brochure)
--Concord Art Assoc. with Emerson Umbrella Artists
--Brookline Arts Center, Brookline, MA. Dec. 10-13.
--Christmas Sale, Boston Museum School, Boston, MA, Dec. 5–14.
1986
--International Student Show, School at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA
--4th Annual Prize Competition, Provincetown Art Association, Provincetown, MA, Aug.
22–Sept. 28. (letter)
--Danforth Museum School, Framingham, MA
1985
--Spring Fest (12-person show), Cambridge Art Association, Cambridge, MA
--The 1985 New England Open: An Open Juried Exhibition of Work By Artists Residing in
--The New England Area, The Grove Street Gallery, Worcester, MA, Jan. 4–27.
--The Bridge House Gallery, St. George, Bermuda.
--Group Show, Concord Public Library, Concord, MA.
--Landscape Cambridge Art Association, Cambridge, MA.
--Windjammer Gallery, Newport, RI and Hamilton, Bermuda.
1984
--2nd Prize, Heat, National Competition, Bromfield Gallery, Boston, MA, July. (letter)
--Annual Fine Art Exhibit and Sale, Museum School, Boston. (1984–87) (press clipping)
--The Great Saltbox Show, West Hartford, Connecticut.
1883
--The Grange Gallery (three-person show), Carlisle, MA.
--Juried Show, Arts Wayland.
1982
--Juried Show, Sudbury Art Association.
--Members’ Spring Show, Bermuda Society of the Arts, City Hall, Hamilton, Bermuda,
--March 15–April 17. (press clipping)
1981
--Juried Evening School Show, School of the Museum of Fine Arts.
1974
--Three-Woman Show, Bermuda Society of the Arts, City Hall, Hamilton Bermuda, Apr.
29–May 17. (press clipping, invitation)
--One-Woman Show, Concord Art Association, 51 Walden St., Concord, MA.
--Group Show, Boston Visual Art’s Union, BVAU Gallery, Boston, MA.
1973
--The Show: Inaugural Exhibition at the New Arts and Science Center Featuring Works
by the Boston Visual Artists Union, Nashua, NH November 15–December 28. (brochure)
--Members’ Show, Boston Visual Artist’s Union, Cyclorama, Boston, MA.
--Members’ Autumn Exhibition, Bermuda Society of the Arts, City Hall Gallery, Hamilton,
Bermuda, November. (press clipping)
CORPORATE COLLECTIONS
Adams, Harcus and Hill, Boston
Arthur Goldberg Collection
Bank of N.T. Butterfield, Bermuda
Beth Israel Hospital / Radiology, Boston
Blue Cross/Blue Shield
Charette
Deloitte & Touche
Fidelity Management Research, Boston
Gillette Corporation
Hale & Dorr
Joann Fabrics
New England Medical Center, Boston
New York Times, NYC
Schinnerer & Co., Bermuda
United Savings Bank, Manchester, NH
PRIVATE COLLECTIONS
United States, England, Canada, Denmark, Bermuda
TEACHING
1987-88 Brookline Arts Center, Brookline, MA
1986-7 Danforth Museum School, Framingham, MA
1984+ Drawing and Intro to Watercolor for Ages 7-12, Umbrella Arts Center, Concord, MA
1983 Landscape Painting, Oil and Watercolor, Concord Adult Education Program,
Concord, MA
EDUCATION
1986-7 School at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA. Instructors Gerry Bergstein, Bill Flynn,
Tim Nichols.
Decordova Museum School, Lincoln, MA. Instructor Innessa Derkatesch.
1981 School at the Museum of Fine Arts. Instructor Timothy Nichols.
1977 Massachusetts College of Art. Instructor Dean Nimmer.
1976 Decordova Museum School. Instructor Innessa Derkatsch.
1973 Ithaca College, BFA, Major in Painting, Cum Laude, Minor in Music. Professors Ed
Thompson, Gary Wojcik.
1971 Cornell University Summer Intensive. Instructor Jack Bosson.
OTHER
- 1986 Judge for Acton Arts League, Sudbury Art Association, and Acton/Boxboro Jamboree
- 1982-4 Founding Corporate Board Member, Umbrella Arts Center, Concord, MA. Managed studio rentals and helped launch the education program.
- Longtime member of the Bermuda Society of Arts, Cambridge Art Association, Women’s Caucus for the Arts, and the Emerson Umbrella Center for the Arts.
- Produced and sold numerous art-based products in Bermuda, including colorful notecards and the Bermuda Activity Book for children.
NOTE
Diana signed her work with many variations on her name, perhaps reflecting her changing identity and search for an authentic self. Her signatures include the following:
Diana Watlington
Diana Ruetenik
Diana Rootnik
Diana Watlington Ruetenik
Diana TW Ruetenik
Diana T Watlington Ruetenik
Diana Watlington Rootnik
Diana T. Watlington Rootnik
Ruetenik
Diana
DTWR
DRW
DWR
DR