Newsletter archive

NEW: MOSAICS

Glassy Rose
Mosaics, you ask? Yes, in addition to painting, I have begun doing mosaics. I love it! It is the perfect medium for producing work for outdoors, as well as for customizing a fireplace, kitchen or bathroom. Since last spring, I have been taking occasional classes at the Institute of Mosaic Art in Berkeley. This has also lead to some part-time work assisting a local mosaic artist.

This glass piece is on wedi board (a light-weight foam substrate used in wet places such as bathrooms) over marine plywood, which means it can be used outdoors. It is 20" x 24". The inspiration for the piece is from my yard, which contains many roses.

Note that this website is also linked to denisehartmosaics.com.

From January 2015 Newsletter

SPRING FORWARD
Expressions Gallery, Berkeley
Show information

Pacific Iris #1
Although we are in a drought, we had a period in late February and early March when we had decent rains every few days. This eliminated the unprecedented winter fire danger and in April brought forth a wonderful show of flowers all around Berkeley. Included in my overflowing garden are early blooming Pacific irises. While we are concerned about the water situation for the summer and fall to come, we are enjoying the scents and sights now. Spring forward!

This show includes three of my paintings. In addition to Pacific Iris #1, Hawaiian Gem and Bamboo Orchid; Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park are included.

From April 2014 Newsletter

ARRAY (Part 1) FEATURE (Part 2)
Berkeley Art Center Members Show including a work by Denise Hart

Traveler's Tree
I spent part of February 2013 on the big island of Hawai'i traveling with my friend, Julie. Years ago, we met in landscape architecture school and discovered that we shared many interests, including a love of plant life and all its diversity. While in Hawai'i, we visited the amazing World Tropical Botanical Gardens where we went went crazy with our cameras. One of the many photos I took was a close-up of Traveler's Tree, Ravenala madagascariensis. As the name implies, it hails from Madagascar. It is not a true palm but is a member of the bird-of-paradise family. This painting is loosely based on that photo.

Some artists from this show will be selected for a subsequent exhibition at the Berkeley Art Center.
From Nov 2013 newsletter

Bonnie's Lilies or
How a Painting Came to Be

I am finishing a commission for my friend, Bonnie. She has a lovely but small apartment. Bonnie recently renovated the apartment and made it very modern. Gray and silver tones predominate with some blue and white. A striking feature in her apartment are the main windows, which are bisected by an almost totem pole-like structure and which look down six floors to a city park below.

In the the pictures she sent me and when I visited, Bonnie had gorgeous calla lilies on her small dining table under those main windows.

Bonnie and I talked about colors, themes and size, which resulted in a sketch to scale of star-gazing lilies, which are more colorful than the typical white calla lilies. She liked the sketch and I felt it would be fun to paint. Ross, from my studio, custom-built me an 18" wide by 46" high stretcher and stapled the canvas that I had gessoed on to it. Then I set to work.

Do you have a special project? Would you like a painting for a particular space?
Click here.

From Sept 2013 newsletter