Diane Rome Smith was born in McAllen, TX and currently resides in McKinney, TX.  Smith has been a faux finish artist for over 30 years where she specializes in Venetian plaster and fresco among other finishes.  11 years ago, she stumbled into fine art when creating sample boards for large-scale projects.  When Smith presented these samples boards to her clients, they were so impressed that they asked if they could frame and hang them as artwork in their homes.  Today, Smith balances her time between creating fine art and faux finishing.

Smith’s technique consists of slowly and masterfully applying thin layers of pigmented plaster onto board then sanding and burnishing the layers with a trowel and finishing off with wax.  This process reveals fine lines and colors between each layer.  Her paintings appear to be high in texture, but in fact they are smooth and polished.