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Artist Spotlight
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Dena Stewart |
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Name: Dena Stewart
City: Miami Beach
Birthplace: New York City, New York
Artistic Medium: Painter
How did you get started?
Shortly after I left another unrewarding job a friend asked me, “If you had
all the money you needed, what would you want to do so that at the end of each
day you felt gratified and satisfied with how you spent your time and looked
forward to doing it again the next day and the next?” Without thought, I
answered, “I’d love to be an artist.” Growing up I had no opportunity to test my
artistic talents so even I was surprised at my whimsical response. “What’s
stopping you?” my friend asked. “I have to work for a living,” I replied. After
graduating from college, I taught high school business courses, I was an editor
with a large publishing company, and my last corporate position was in personnel
management and training for a national department stores chain. I did like the
idea of painting while I continued my job search. That was almost 30 years ago.
For my birthday that year, my husband (Stewart Stewart)
gave me a set of watercolor paints, some brushes, a pad of watercolor paper, and
a wooden easel—the very best gift I ever received. I painted every day after
that. With no formal art training, no rules and no boundaries, I developed my
own style of painting to portray my life experiences, dreams and beliefs.
When the holiday season came around, and a real one was too
pricey, I painted a Christmas tree. The following season I added background to
the painting. The next year I submitted the artwork to UNICEF. It was selected
for the 1982 UNICEF Greeting Card Collection. UNICEF issued Christmas Tree in
the City again in 1983 and 1984. What started out as my eighth painting
helped to feed starving children.
My temporary diversion became my passion and my life. I
ended my serious job search and, as most artists do, made trade-offs. By doing a
little bit of this and a little bit of that, I found innovative ways to cover my
bills. I customized jerseys and T-shirts with hand-painted scenes based on
personal stories told by the buyers. The New York Daily News and New
York Magazine featured my designs in their “Best Bets” column. I
hand-painted house portraits from photographs people mailed to me. Country
Living magazine featured these portraits. When I had a big enough body of
work, I had my first public exhibition at the Greenwich Village art show. A
passer-by recommended I contact America’s Folk Heritage Gallery on Madison
Avenue; and the gallery became the first of many to show my art. My paintings
were selected for a prestigious “Eight Woman Show" at the Interart St. Amand
Gallery in New York.
After living my entire life in Manhattan (except for a one-year trip throughout
Europe), Stewart and I moved to South Beach to be the first out-of-state artists
of the South Florida Arts Center.
In 1989, Christmas Tree in the City once again was
part of the UNICEF Greeting Card Collection. My card sold more than 3 million
copies worldwide, generating over $300,000 for UNICEF. In appreciation, I was
awarded the honorary title of Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF, a humbling
experience.
Grateful for our opportunities and a desire to give back in
return, Stewart and I co-founded Center for Folk and Community Art,
artmurals.org with the mission to use visual art as a tool of intervention,
prevention and education to impact social issues and improve the human
condition; we created Telling Stories Through Visuals, a unique workshop and
exhibition program to help people express and understand their feelings. The
program was selected by the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities as
a “national model.” At both local and national conferences, Stewart and I train
teachers and mental health professionals how to adapt Telling Stories Through
Visuals to improve their communities. In between doing my outreach work, I
continue to paint.
Who or what are your influences?
As a “visionary artist” I have no rules and no boundaries for my work. My
paintings reflect my experiences, beliefs, hopes and dreams. Most of them have
an inspirational or cathartic message.
What inspires your work?
I'm usually inspired by what's going on in my life and what I'm feeling when
I start a new work. “Another Dimension”, my latest group of vividly colorful,
florally framed paintings, opens a window of the imagination to look into or
look out of and wonder about the inner spirit of those individuals portrayed,
together or apart, as they enter a dimension of pleasure or leave a dimension of
pain. Many of my works include my vision of a guardian angel, an illusive image
of an all-knowing spirit taking the form of a face in a cloud, or a figure
swinging from a rainbow, hovering above to watch over and keep souls-in-need
from life's harm.
How does Miami/South Florida influence your work?
The light and magnificent colors reflected off the Miami/South Florida sky
led me away from painting urban cityscapes with the subdued grays and earth
tones I used when I lived in New York to the vivid purples, pinks, aquamarines,
and bright yellows I see here. Many of my newer works incorporate the beach,
exotic birds, glorious palm trees and flowers into the pictorial storyline.
How would you describe your work?
Captivating, meaningful, detailed and pretty.
What has been the most unusual reaction to your work
from the public?
“I love your painting of the wedding. It must have over a hundred people in
it. If I bring you a patch to show you the color of my living room, do you think
you could do another painting just like that one with that shade of blue as the
background?”
What would you like to achieve as an artist?
The opportunity to share my work with as many people as possible and teach
others how to tap into their own creative abilities.
Where is your work available?
Currently at my studio/gallery/office/home: 1800 Michigan Avenue, Miami
Beach. 305-534-8807.
If you are an artist and would like to be a part of Artist
Spotlight, contact Mary Damiano at
StarrWriter2000@aol.com
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