BIOGRAPHY
Denise Wenger
Born and raised in California, Denise Wenger grew up camping and boating on many lakes in California, Nevada, Arizona and Utah.
She has a natural inclination for the abstract. The changing landscape and reflected color on the water throughout the day is the most significantinfluence on her expression of movement in her paintings. While attending Ventura Junior College Wenger was encouraged to paint abstractly by her well known mentor, Gerd Koch.
Some of the galleries where Wenger exhibited her paintings are the Ventura Artists Association, where she won an honorable mention, the Santa Paula Society of the Arts, Santa Paula Society of the Arts, Ojai Art Center, Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza and the Ventura County Fair, where she won 2 first place ribbons. During the early days of Art Walk in Ventura, Wenger exhibited at many venues and restaurants. Unfortunately, her fortunes changed. She had to find full time work, and provide a nurturing environment, for raising her young daughter. After Wenger’s daughter finished her university studies, Wenger began painting again. Wenger has recently shown her paintings at the CSU Channel Island Napa Gallery, Ventura College Gallery 2 and the Ventura College New Media Gallery where she won a Merit Award.
Wenger is excited to be working on a series of paintings called “The Celebration of Women”. Using her abstract style, she incorporates figurative expressions within the picture frame; to bring a complex thoughtfulness to the reality of women’s experiences during the present time of financial, spiritual and political flux.
"I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn't say any other way - things I had no words for."
Georgia O'Keeffe
Dive into My Portfolio
MY STUNNING CREATIONS
46.5" X 23.5”, oil on masonite
GHOSTS OF THE HOLOCAUST
This painting started out as a statement about the carnage caused by gun violence, and became a search of my own heritage. While researching images of the Holocaust, I remembered a story my grandmother shared about the loss of family members. This saddened me and I needed to explore my own emotions and fear.
30 x 24", oil on canvas
WILD FURY
Many women experience a lifetime of unreal expectations and it becomes too much to bear. A wild fury ensues. Before utter destruction a calm takes over as she finds peace by allowing herself a voice.
30 x 24", oil on canvas
WOMB SAGE
When it comes to sages, women excel in understanding intercourse of the mind, body and soul. Women watch over and care for all who come by her path. She brings life to those down trodden by the spirit of nurturing.
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24" X 30", oil on canvas
COMIN SOON
an addition to the
Celebration of Women
THE TEMPEST
24” X 30”, oil on canvas
First in the Celebration of Women series, I started this painting with a division of space. As I blocked in the spaces of color, I saw an image of a woman seated. Offsetting the seated woman, I sketched an additional figure in the background. I liked how the simple brushstrokes of the male figure looked and came to mean. He is somewhat of a Freudian figure to me.
REFLECTIVE WONDERLAND
36” X 24”, oil on canvas
I love reflections. This painting is a more about the feel of reflections than a literal document of the CSU Channel Island library. I took several photographs of the library one morning and caught the reflections of the shades and structure.
REFLECTIVE WINDOWS
40” X 30”, oil on canvas
This painting was collaged in Photoshop of the Broom Library at CSU Channel Islands University. It became a different composition when translated to paint. I had to make changes to keep cohesion.
SHADES
24” X 24”, oil on canvas
I captured the reflection of the shades in the breezeway above the reflective pool at the Broom Library on CSU Channel Island campus. I love the distortion reflections give an image.
SHADES-CAROUSEL RIDE
24” X 24”, oil on canvas
I was working on my reflective series of the Broom Library and abruptly stopped when this image emerged. I love the movement and it reminds me of the dizzy way you see after riding a merry go round.
SHADES II – SEASCAPE
24” X 24”, oil on canvas
This painting was the third in my reflective series. As I painted, it started to look like a seascape. I was experimenting with the grays from left over paint. I went with the intuition that spoke to my imagination. I began to lay down repetitive colors and texture.
MY DIEBENKORN
16” X 20”, oil on canvas
I am a big fan of the color field painters and Richard Diebenkorn is one of them. I am especially fond of his period, The Berkeley Years 1953 - 1966. This is my pastiche of “Seawall”, 1957, from that period.
PATHWAY TO GLORY
30” X 20”, acrylic on canvas
I took a photograph of a classic baby blue Thunderbird car in an old store front window. On the trunk you could see the reflection of the shops across the street. As I turned the painting on it’s side to work on the color balance, I saw this pathway. I found it was much more interesting than my original idea.
HOBO JUNGLE PLEIN AIR
24” x30”, acrylic on canvas
A Student of Brooks Institute asked me if would like to be filmed painting, start to finish. I’m in, for anyone who is working on their art. Hobo Jungle is north of the Ventura River.
Plein Air painting can be tricky; the wind will take your canvas and set it
a-flight. I painted quickly before the changing light. The sun was to the left of the islands when I arrived, and was to the right, when I left.