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Denise Pollack

Paintings

In my earliest childhood memories I am crawling up an enormous staircase to an elderly neighbor's apartment.  There, I would sit and stare at walls covered with works of art.  Though I memorized the images, I returned each day to see them again.  I knew then that I wanted to be an artist.  

I earned a BFA from Tyler School of Art, in Pennsylvania, and worked as a graphic designer for many years.  Later, I completed an
M.Ed. from Lehigh University in counseling and human services.  While working as a counselor, I studied classical art with Myron Barnstone at the Barnstone Studios.

Painting and counseling have allowed me to achieve a necessary balance in my life.  In my practice, I spend my days engaged in unpredictable and intense discussions with clients of all ages and backgrounds.  In contrast, my studio is where I go to relish the quiet and solitude of producing a work of art.  

My past work as a graphic designer has informed my sense of composition and design.  I also incorporate the principles of dynamic symmetry and color theory to achieve a harmonious composition.  

Working as a counselor–and spending thousands of hours looking at people–has also influenced my painting.  I am interested in capturing the mood and emotions of my subjects, and conveying their internal experience.  Whether I have known the subject for years, or have had only a brief encounter, I try to depict more than their mere likeness.  

I work primarily in oils.  I have always loved this medium, as it is very controllable, but it requires patience.  I pace myself.  As I wait for layers of paint to dry, I decide whether or not to make subtle changes.  

Each painting is a process in which I immerse myself for the duration.  Like reading a good book, I am often sad when a painting is finally complete.  But before I apply the last stroke, I have already begun to plan and look forward to my next project..

 

Commissions available upon request.

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