"I love it when people look at my paintings and say, 'I know exactly where that is, I've been there!" says Dennis. "The truth is that many times I paint places from memory and paint the ambience I remember rather than the actual physical details, so it's not usually a painting of an actual place. When I hear a comment like that, it's great because I know I've really connected with the viewer."
Dennis grew up in the Columbus, Ohi,o area and after finishing college at Ohio State University with a bachelor's degree in Fine Arts, he moved to Steamboat Springs, Colorado. "I started painting watercolor because it was portable and I really liike working outside," explains Dennis. After a couple years, Dennis was encouraged to move to Denver by one of his mentors, Ned Jacob.
There he spent a lot of time walking the city and surrounding areas, and painting what he experienced. He began teaching at the Arts Student League about 1992 and has been teaching ever since. "I love the teaching side of artistry because it uses both sides of your brain and it helps me crystallize my ideas so I can explain techniques and intent with my students."
Denver's changing landscape intrigues Dennis and inspires him to share the shapes and colors in a way that invites viewers into the canvas to experience what it's like to be there. "Denver is an exciting city; for instance there's nowhere else in the world with a place like Red Rocks," says Dennis. "The more you paint, the more you see possibilities. Everything you see turns into a painting."
When he's not painting, you will probably find Dennis fly fishing in Colorado or traveling, especially in Europe where he may be studying one of his favorite subjects, the early cave paintings in Southern France and Spain. Dennis also plays a mean blues harmonia.
