"JuJu, the magic of my art, is both visual and seductive. JuJu is the work of my will and my heart. Art JuJu is the love child of my mother's art box. The colorful tubes inside that box have always begged to be squeezed. The intoxicating smell of turpentine and the beauty of
her brushes with perfect bristles have continually enticed me. The appeal has been both hypnotic and irresistable. My heart and memories are tied closely to this box and the fifty-plus year streak of magic it seems to make."
Dian McCray has never been able to resist the juju of "the magic art box." She studied art at Arizona State University and received undergraduate and Masters degrees in Art from the
University of Montevallo in Alabama. Thirty magic years of sharing knowledge and experience with students and colleagues have kept her excited about both making art and the process of teaching art.
Dian has paintings in private collections in Europe and in eleven of the United States; exhibiting in Alabama, Arizona and Virginia. She has written and illustrated two children's books, the latest,
Amma's Magic Box, is the story of Art JuJu as told through her young grandson's eyes. She has also published articles in
Arts and Activities and
Alabama Zoological Society magazines and illustrated several publications for Hopscotch Press, Manasha Ridge Press and Bantam Doubleday Dell Books.
