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About Dianne Dengel

Self taught "people" artist Dianne Dengel was born January 1, 1939, in Rochester, NY. Well known as "the artist who paints with her fingers and rolled bits of paper", she lives and works today in the same tiny home her father built with found lumber scraps in 1949. Dianne displayed artistic talent at a very early age. Because her family was very poor, her mother would bring shirt cardboard home from work for Dianne to draw on.

By age sixteen, Dianne was drawing commissioned portraits from photographs. As a teenager, Dianne worked hard saving her pennies to purchase five tubes of oil paint. Her talent for painting with her fingers was developed out of necessity. Unable to afford brushes, she used what she had available... her fingers and rolled bits of paper. Painting on wood and cardboard, she perfected her craft until, at age eighteen, Dianne started exhibiting at art shows in Greenwich Village....she had entered her lifelong journey as a professional artist. The gentle people portrayed in Dianne's paintings are extensions of the artist herself. For over forty years, Dianne and her mother Mildred traveled to shows demonstrating her painting style to the amazement of everyone.

In 1984, Dianne's career entered television with an appearance on "Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood" where she "finger" painted Fred Rogers' portrait. As a teenager, Dianne had drawn a portrait of Fred's father which Fred loved and asked that she paint his own portrait as well. He came to her home spending two days filming two Neighborhood episodes that still air. It delights Dianne when children recognize her from those shows.

Dianne's talent is not limited to one medium. She is the gifted creator of cloth dolls and sculptures, images of her paintings that almost come to life. Her paintings and dolls are in private collections all over the world. Regardless of the medium, her creations speak softly of love, understanding and a simpler way of life.

Ms. Oprah Winfrey graciously accepted this painting of her as a child!
Dianne painted it as a gift to celebrate Oprah's 50th birthday.

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