Diane Firth

I specialise in oil paintings and drawings of people, pets and animals, either separately or together and am especially interested in work showing our relationship with each other.

The 2026 Spring exhibition features ‘The Legacy of Oleg Cassini’. This is the story behind the painting.

Emilie, the sitter, wears her own beautiful vintage leopard fake fur coat. While researching fake fur I came across the story of Oleg Cassini, the fashion designer responsible for Jackie Kennedy’s distinctive First Lady look. In 1962 he suggested she try a leopard coat he had designed. This was a disaster for leopards as the Jackie Kennedy coat was made from real fur. When Cassini was told that an unprecedented 250,000 leopards had been killed in the 60’s to respond to copycat fashion demand he was horrified. “After that (coat) I said, ‘I will do my best to redeem myself’ “. Cassini never used real fur again, worked to develop fake fur as a replacement and became an advocate for animal rights. The coat changed the course of his life. 10 years later, the US government put leopards on their endangered species list making it illegal to import their skins. Emilie is surrounded by 15 leopards – hopefully survivors after the 1960’s fashion.

I have a degree in Fine Art from Chelsea College of Art and an MA at Chichester University as well as a BA in History of Art from Reading University.

I love working on commissions and believe that commissioning an artwork should be a positive, fascinating and rewarding experience for all involved. It is important to me that I create a treasured heirloom which brings joy and happy memories to those who own it. Email diane@smilingspider.co.uk if you’d like to discuss your ideas for a commission.

Find me on Instagram (@dianefirtharts) as well as facebook and linked in.

Website: www.dianefirth.co.uk