Newspaper Article

Newspaper Article as written in the Bakersfield Californian

By Erin Waldner Californian staff writer

Diane Pereira is in the business of preserving memories. She illustrates keepsake plates to commemorate such occasions as birthdays, weddings, anniversaries and births. She also designs ancestry and family tree plates. She named her business Memories Made. "I'm making a memory into something concrete," Pereira said. She included a red heart in her business logo because the plates are gifts from the heart. Russo's Books in the Marketplace will host a showing of Pereira's plates from 2 to 4 p.m. today.

Pereira started her business about a year and a half ago. "I've always treasured things from the past and I'm always trying to preserve a memory of a moment in time," Pereira said from her antique-filled Bakersfield home.

An artist since childhood, Pereira studied at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. She has been a professional graphic artist for 24 years. "My education was hands on," she said. "You didn't go to the computer and pull things up. You designed it by pencil, you drew it, you inked it."

In the past, Pereira mostly worked in the corporate environment, designing brochures, logos and advertisements. After moving here 10 years ago form Santa Clarita, Pereira began researching her family roots in Fresno, where her grandfather was one of the towns first pharmacists. "Possibly, if I had not moved here and done that, I wouldn't be doing this," she said.

At first, she illustrated plates just for fun. Her first plate was for a friend's mother's birthday. Through word of mouth, Pereira began making plates for other friends. The business evolved over time. Pereira did virtually all the start-up work herself. Pereira, who works from a home studio, said her business allows her to focus on her family. She has two children, ages 11 and 17.

Pereira's canvas, the actual plates, have come from England, Italy and America. "I look for the best plate for what I'm doing, "she said. Pereira uses a set design she registered with the U.S. Copyright Office. She illustrates and hand letters each plate individually. She is meticulous in her work. "I'm very picky about each plate," she said. "I'm detail-oriented." Also, she said, she knows the plates are going to stay in the family for the next generation. Most of the plates are purchased as gifts.

The cost of her plates start at $48. Pam Dobrenen purchased a family plate from Pereira. It goes three generations back. On the boarder, Pereira wrote words like energetic that describe Dobrenen's two children. "I love it," Dobrenen said.

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Electronic mail: Diane
Telephone: 661-588-0966
Postal address: Memories Made
13061 Rosedale Hwy. Suite G-133: Bakersfield, CA 93312-7612