Central to Armfield's oeuvre is the study of botany, the landscape surrounding her home in Wales, and the pleasurable atmosphere of public spaces near her London base in Kew. Often beginning a work outside, it will then be studied and refined to perfection back in her studio. Dedicated to depicting the beauty of the things around her, Armfield paints with a wonderful lightness of touch, deep understanding of colour, and sense of purpose. She is particularly fascinated by the rhythms of life, be it the constant tiny movements of the flowers she painstakingly depicts, or the equilibrium of a peaceful vista.
Armfield studied at the Slade School of Fine Art (where she met her late husband), and Central School of Arts and Crafts. She began her career designing textiles and wallpaper in partnership with Roy Passano and together they contributed to the 1951 Festival of Britain.
In 1965, after years teaching at the Byam Shaw School of Art, Armfield turned from design to painting and has produced an extensive body of work across the media of oil, pastel, watercolour, drawing and printmaking.
Diana Armfield has been represented by Browse & Darby since 1979, and in the 1980s, she saw her career as a painter take off. She was elected to the Royal Watercolour Society in 1980, and as Governor of the Federation of British Artists in 1981. Armfield was an Artist in Residence in Perth, Australia and Jackson, Wyoming, USA in 1985 and 1989 respectively. During the 80s she also achieved a number of significant commissions, including from the National Trust’s Foundation for Art in 1988, and from the Prince of Wales in 1989. Armfield was elected as an Associate of the Royal Academy in 1989, and as a full Royal Academician in 1991.