After earning her degree in Fashion Design and Illustration from New York's Fashion Institute of Technology in the early 60"s, Ms Harris-Wright has spent over two decades in the fashion industry. Beginning her career on New York's Seventh Avenue as a sketcher and illustrator, then head designer for several sportswear houses. After establishing herself as a successful and sought after designer in the industry, she branched out on her own and in 1968 opened her flagship store "Contagious Boutique, Ltd."in New York's famous Gramercy Park area.The boutique featured her all own designs exclusively. She later expanded her business to include stores "Diann Harris for Contagious" and finally "Diann Harris, Ltd."on New York's fashionable Upper Eastside in addition to opening a design and manufacturing facility in Chelsea. Diann Harris designed, manufactured and retailed her own line of fashions.

A reputation for beautiful, well made clothes, in exquisite fabrics and wonderful window displays became her hallmark. The window displays featured her own fashions accented with artwork that included large fashion illustrations, paintings, sculpture and ob jets d'art. As a result, she attracted a loyal following nationally and internationally; which included such luminaries as Diahann Carroll, Linda Dano, Liza Minnelli, Felisha Rashad, Brooke Shields, Marla Thomas, to name just a few, as well as many of New York's fashion elite…Chessy Rayner, Mica Ertegun, Nan Kempner, Alexandra Schlesinger and many more. Over the years, she continued drawing classes at the School of Visual Arts in New York and longed to paint full time.

In 1996 her husband was offered a position in Salt Lake City. When confronted with the opportunity to follow her soul's code as a painter …Diann recalls thinking, "I've been painting expressions in my mind for years and finally I have the opportunity to execute and share them with others". And there was also the opportunity to live twenty minutes from some of the best skiing in the country!

Ms Harris-Wright has had several one-woman shows in Salt Lake City and most notably, a one women show in the main gallery of the famous Kimbal Art Center in Park City, Utah. and has participated in shows in New York, Utah and Colorado. Twelve of her paintings were leased for display in the 2002 Winter Olympics Village in Salt Lake City.

Diann Harris-Wright's paintings are in private collections in New York, Arizona, Florida and Utah. They are on display at Gallery 1351 in Salt Lake City. *

For more information call: 801-323-0348 / fax 801-363-1997