This year has been very exciting for one of our group, Denise Sutherland. She entered Landscapes Canada, where artists were dropped in surprise locations and had four hours to paint a painting.
Denise made it to the later stages of the competition and it was even aired on the television.
More recently, Denise was a participant in The Great Migration Paint-OUT! organised by Layne and Elaine van Loo, where she won first place by the judges.
Denise has totalled 40 exhibitions and 10 awards and counting.
This is what Denise had to say about where it all began for her:
It started when I was small, as soon as I could hold a pencil, always loved drawing and colouring. I had my first serious art show when I was 14.
Denise started painting landscapes full time after 31 years of working in advertising.
I’ve painted in Italy twice and France for a two week residency I won through Grand Central Atelier and La Napoule Art Foundation.
I asked Denise if she has ever painted the same scene twice. She has done that, not just twice but even three times, though each one is usually from a different angle.
But she has painted the same scene in her studio from a plein air study!
Denise’s artwork has travelled all over the U.S. — in South Carolina, Florida, Utah, Texas and all over Canada as well. Paintings have been bought and are in homes in Singapore, England and all over the U.S. and Canada.
Denise had great success at Westland Gallery and Paint Ontario this year.
I asked Denise about the funniest thing to happen to her whilst plein air painting:
I was in Italy in our workshop and was raining so we were looking for a location to paint that was a big sheltered. The teacher wanted to go in this lean-to with a roof. The ground was covered with wood in a big pile, so another student and I were piling wood so we could make space for all of us to set up our easels to paint.
Of course the instructor was video taping us working away. Later we had some cream Lemoncello and since I don’t drink much I was feeling it, much to the instructor’s dismay as he couldn’t get me to stop talking and goofing around while he was doing a nocturne demo.
The funniest and most nerve wracking plein air painting session was in Florida by a lagoon and a neighbour was keeping watch for the alligator in the pond as I frantically tried to paint. They are fast and I was quite watchful and ready to make a hasty retreat if he approached anywhere near us.
We can’t wait to hear what Denise does next! Check out her website: www.deniseantaya.com
In the next Art Scoop, we will feature artists from ASK who are in the Signature Christmas Market at LAC.
~ Photos of Denise and her art provided by Catherine Johnson