Idaho Conservation League welcomes Diane Hill as 2026-2027 Artist in Residence
ICL is pleased to announce Diane Hill of Idaho Falls as its 2026-2027 Artist in Residence! Hill was selected from a record number of applicants for the program, which invites Idaho-based artists to explore the connection between art, place, and environmental advocacy.
Hill is an award-winning mixed media artist whose work is rooted in a lifelong love of nature, wildlife, birds, forests, mountains, and meadows. She earned an associate degree in art and later received a bachelor’s degree in interior design from Brigham Young University. After a 30-year career in design, Hill retired and turned more fully toward her own art practice. Her work is shaped in part by childhood camping trips in remote areas of northern Ontario, Canada, experiences that continue to influence the natural imagery and wildlife subjects in her paintings.
In recent years, Hill has developed a distinctive process that combines botanical printmaking with painting. Using real plants and leaves, she creates botanical impressions on cotton rag watercolor paper, then layers wildlife and other natural forms onto the prints using watercolor, gouache, acrylic and ink. Her finished works are sealed with UV varnish and encaustic wax, giving them a rich, satin-like surface.
“We’re beyond excited to welcome Diane as our 2026-2027 Artist in Residence,” said Lexi Black-Spalding, ICL’s community engagement associate. “Diane’s attention to wildlife provides a new avenue through which we can tell the stories of the animals who also call Idaho home. ICL’s wildlife campaign focuses on protecting the full breadth of Idaho’s wildlife, with an emphasis on nongame species, which make up the majority of Idaho’s biodiversity but tend to receive far less attention. It’s our hope that Diane’s work helps shine some more light on the many special species of our state.”
ICL launched its Artist in Residence program in 2013 to explore the confluence of fine art and environmental advocacy. Since then the program has worked with several Idaho-based artists to help illuminate the places, waters, wildlife, and open spaces that define Idaho and deserve continued celebration and protection. Hill will be the tenth artist to participate in the program.
“My approach to the ICL artist residency is to bring artwork that represents Idaho in five different areas: Northern panhandle, Central, Western, Southern, and Eastern Idaho. Each area will have about four pieces of work which will include mammals, birds, fish, and flora,” said Hill. “I am extremely excited to share my love of nature and help both ICL and my future in art by bringing a book of work that will influence people to understand how important it is to protect our wildlife and natural environment.”
“The Idaho Commission on the Arts congratulates both the Idaho Conservation League and Diane Hill on her selection as the 2026–2027 Artist in Residence,” said Laura von Boeklin Curry, executive director for Idaho Commission on the Arts. “Idaho's landscapes and wildlife have long inspired artists, and this program celebrates the powerful connection between art and the natural world. We are grateful to the Idaho Conservation League for recognizing that connection and for using the arts to help tell Idaho's stories in meaningful ways. We look forward to seeing how Diane's work inspires new appreciation for Idaho's natural beauty.”
More information about ICL’s Artist in Residence program and past participating artists is available at: https://idahoconservation.org/artist-in-residence
