Bio:

Dinah Jasensky is a professional artist and environmental scientist. She paints in oils and acrylics. Dinah’s art work has been shown in local and national juried art shows. Her scientific illustrations have been published in University Laboratory Manuals, research publications and college teaching materials.

Dinah enjoys painting a variety of subject matter, including contemporary portraits, historical figurative scenes, still life, plein air landscapes and astronomy themes.

Dinah was awarded first place by the Southern Arizona Artists Guild for her painting “Moonlight over the Santa Catalinas.” She won second place in the Portrait Artists of Arizona competition for her painting “Cactus Rose.” Dinah’s interest in astronomy led to a body of work “From Cosmos to Craters,” which has been shown locally and abroad.

In 2018, seven of Dinah’s paintings were featured in the I.D.E.A. Museum in Mesa, Arizona. She was the featured solo artist at both the Tucson International Airport and the Osher Lifelong Learning Gallery in 2017. Dinah was also a featured artist at the 2016, 2017 and 2018 SpaceFest events in Tucson, Arizona and the 2017 INSAP “Road to the Stars” conference in Santiago de Compostela, Spain. Other exhibits include the 2016, 2017, and 2018 Lunar and Planetary Laboratory “Art of Planetary Science” exhibits. Dinah’s work is on permanent exhibit at Biosphere 2, World View Enterprises, University of Arizona Lunar and Planetary Laboratory and Drake Building.

Dinah is a member of Oil Painters of America, the Portrait Society of America, the Society of Impressionist Painters, the International Association of Astronomical Painters, the Tucson Barrio Painters and the Sonoran Plein Air Painters.


Artist Statement:

I’m lucky to have had careers in art and science. There is a cultural aspect of science and an inquiry side to art. I’ve always felt a profound connection between the two fields I have chosen to study. Scientists and artists both ask the same questions. How do we as humans fit in the natural world? Where are we going and what is it that brings meaning to our lives? How do we see ourselves? The artist and scientist looking across the table are able to see a fresh perspective that enhances their work. That is the interface I love to explore.

In my current work, I am looking at the Mexican culture that is an integral part of life in Tucson, Arizona where I live. I am fascinated by El Día de los Muertos, when it is believed that the border between the spirit world and the real world dissolve, and souls of the dead return to feast, drink and dance with their loved ones. My Ofrendas paintings celebrate that tradition.