Diana Crooke

Born on Thursday Island in 1954, Diana Crooke’s childhood was far removed from that of her own parent’s Melbourne up bringing.

Diana’s early years (1961 – 1969), were predominantly spent at the small beachside community of Yorkeys Knob in Far North Queensland.

The close-knit environment of the Yorkey´s Knob community meant the Crooke family regularly participated in the cultural traditions and festivities of the Torres Strait Islanders. They also called the little Cairns suburb home. These years were instrumental in the development of Diana’s passion for the tropics, its indigenous peoples and their simplistic lifestyles.

The family’s move to the city late in 1968 saw Diana complete her secondary schooling in Sydney, after which she attended the highly esteemed Shilleto Design School.

Her return to North Queensland in 1975 saw her experiment with screen-printing and clothing design. About Diana Crooke

Born on Thursday Island in 1954, Diana Crooke’s childhood was far removed from that of her own parent’s Melbourne upbringing.

Diana’s early years (1961 – 1969), were predominantly spent at the small beachside community of Yorkeys Knob in Far North Queensland.

The close-knit environment of the Yorkey´s Knob community meant the Crooke family regularly participated in the cultural traditions and festivities of the Torres Strait Islanders. They also called the little Cairns suburb home. These years were instrumental in the development of Diana’s passion for the tropics, its indigenous peoples and their simplistic lifestyles.

The family’s move to the city late in 1968 saw Diana complete her secondary schooling in Sydney, after which she attended the highly esteemed Shilleto Design School. Her return to North Queensland in 1975 saw her experiment with screen-printing and clothing design. Resulting in the beginnings of embarking on a career as a professional artist.

The early memories of life broadly inspire Diana´s works at Yorkeys Knob.

Excursions to the Fijian Islands in the south Pacific have produced many paintings in her long career.

Her use of vibrant colours demonstrates the rich palette of life in the tropics. At the same time, the relaxed subject matter portrays the laiss´er-faire lifestyle characteristic of its native populations—Diana’s work, found in numerous international collections around the globe. Diana extensive collections of original artworks are regularly exhibited in Port Douglas and Cairns as well as nationally.

Diana’s artwork is now available in limited edition fine art prints & canvases.