Draft:Diane Green

Diane Louise Green (born May 28, 1957) is an American-born artist, musician, singer/songwriter, poet, and dancer. Throughout the 2000s Diane Green's paintings and other artworks have been in shows primarily across the midwestern U.S. Diane co-founded The Hellcats, a Memphis psychobilly blues group that began in the 1980s, with Lorette Velvette. The Hellcats recorded on three LPs and a 45's in Memphis. They toured the US primarily with Tav Falco's Panther Burns. In the late 1970s, Diane was in the University of Memphis Modern Dance program, as well the Harry Bryce Afro-Caribbean Dance Company. She currently lives in Chicago IL, USA and she's writing a series of books.

Biography
Diane Green was born in Memphis Tennessee to a family of European settlers mixed with Native American ancestors from State across the southern U.S. including Arkansas. She was raised in an East Memphis, Tennessee neighborhood attending Richland Elementary and Junior High, graduating a year early from White Station High School in 1974. Diane went on to study Old English literature, Psychology, Astronomy, Modern Dance and Fine Art at University of Memphis, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Memphis College of Art and Rhodes College.

Diane traveled across the USA through the late 70's writing poetry and painting in sketchbooks as she lived adventures throughout the Deep South, Northeast and Southwest America. Arriving back in Memphis in 1978, Diane studied and focused on modern dance. She was inspired by Kaysee Cloud, was influenced by Isadora Duncan, and performed with the Harry Bryce Afro-Caribbean Dance Company.

In 1982, Diane returned to school continuing her devotion to the arts at Memphis College of Art and graduated in 1984 with a BFA in painting. Soon after Diane's graduation she was invited to join classmates in an offbeat improvisational music group called the Odd Jobs, where she focused on singing, songwriting and poetry. The Odd Jobs played in various Memphis nightclubs such as the Antenna Club, Fred's Hideout, and events at the Overton Park Shell. The Odd Jobs were included in Tav Falco's Frenzi Record's 1986 compilation of Memphis area artists entitled Swamp Surfing in Memphis. The album featured one of Diane Green's popular songs "Girl From Frayser", which describes her friendship, and drinking with Memphis art school companion Carol Robison.

In 1985, Diane was approached by Lorette Velvette from Tav Falco's Panther Burns to join her in creating the all-woman, rockabilly blues band The Hellcats. The Hellcats were featured on Swamp Surfing in Memphis from the Australian label Au Go-Go. The Hellcats later recorded and published Cherry Mansions an EP in 1988, and Hoodoo Train LP in 1990 on the French label New Rose Records. All the Hellcats music was recorded at Easley McCain Recording in Memphis Tennessee. Diane performed with The Hellcats throughout the USA and Canada alongside Tav Falco's Panther Burns between 1985 and 1990.

In 1990, Diane Green relocated to Chicago IL. She married in 1990; they had two children. During the early years of raising her children Diane created a fiber arts clothing company named Original Face. Her creations were popularly featured in Chicago art fairs, as well as New York City's fashion world. While Diane was in full swing with her clothing company in 1997, she fell and had a traumatic brain injury. She was hospitalized in ICU for a week, and remained unconscious for over 3 months. A year later, Diane was diagnosed with epilepsy and has continued recovery ever since. But her creativity remained and in 1998 Diane started painting full time mostly on found objects. In 2003, Diane went to School of the Art Institute of Chicago and graduated with Master of Arts in Art Therapy.

While in graduate school Diane established a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization called Museum of Universal Self Expression or M.U.S.E. for short. The mission of this non-profit was to help maintain art programs for underserved communities, especially underprivileged people in recovery. Works, such as sculptures, and murals, from a variety of art programs in Chicago have been featured throughout city. In 2003 a publication, Call Me Crazy was started by Diane along with clients at a local Chicago mental health center. During the pandemic Call Me Crazy was revived online by MUSE as a social media art therapy group and is featured in MUSE's This Is It Gallery website..

Works
Diane Green began painting as an art student in 1974. By 1986 she was selling her artwork to collectors throughout her hometown. Diane's work in a show at University of Memphis was compared in similarity to paintings by Jean-Michel Basquiat by curator William Olander from New Museum of New York. Having not heard of Jean-Michel at that time, Diane asked her friend Tav Falco if he knew him. Tav played a part in Basquiat's film work Downtown 81 and vowed to introduce Diane to the artist. Unfortunately Basquiat died before Diane made it back to New York.

After selling many paintings in her hometown, Diane moved to Chicago in 1990 to move forward with her art career. Since 1998, Diane’s paintings have been included in over 35 shows. In 2003, Diane received a Master’s degree from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

Today Diane Green lives in the Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago, painting, and musical projects in her home studio. Diane has a regular publication on Bella Meow | Diane L. Green | Substack named Bella Meow. She is also currently working on a "poetically theorized fiction sci-fi" novel to be published sometime in the near future.

Publications
Until the Nightengale Sings - 2015 - Daggermoth Press - Chicago, IL

Bella Meow 2023 - Bella Meow | Diane L. Green | Substack