Its time to tidy out the Studio after a long enjoyable summer- I love this time of year, ordering new canvas and materials and getting back down to work.  I didn't do much painting this summer but instead concentrated on drawing and looking and experiencing the wonderful surroundings of  both County Wexford and West Cork.  I have some great ideas for seascapes and some lovely drawings and photographs of sand dunes that are just begging to be put on to big canvas.  Keep a look out here for updates and of course on FB and on Instagram @DeniseFrenchArtist 
If you want to see my work in real life of course you can email me for an appointment at the studio or visit SouthShore Arts in Dalkey, the Guinness Gallery in Foxrock Village, and I will have work on show in Greenacres of Wexford for the Opera Festival in October.

on view in Wexford, Dublin, Foxrock, Dalkey, Colrnelscourt........and of course on line

This spring I am delighted to be exhibiting once more at Green Acres Gallery in Wexford Town, https://www.greenacres.ie they have been great supporters of my work over the years and it is a pleasure to have my work shown there with other Irish and International artists in their world class gallery space.  

You can also see my paintings at the lovely Guinness Gallery in Foxrock Village, they also have a beautiful range of craft items.

The newest gallery in Dalkey SouthShore Arts is just beside the DART station and has a selection of my work and also stocks my greeting cards, they have a huge range of art, craft and jewellery in this lovely bright space.

The Gallery above the Magic Carpet in Cornelscourt also has a great range of paintings on view.

Dont forget to check out https://www.incognito.ie which opens this week 5th April, you never know who you might find there!!

So I stopped talking about the Sea and started painting it - I have had so much fun- and its been a great excuse to get out walking!  Im really lucky to live really near the sea and I can look at it every day, its an ever changing thing - calming and terrifying depending on the day.  The colours are amazing, and of course everyone sees it differently.  I love my meadow paintings but I'm now becoming addicted to the sea and all its changing moments.

So what do I do.....I usually start off with a walk and a few photos ..... maybe a sit and a think as well.  Back to the studio and I just choose a few colours to start, my palette is very limited but I try to make as many greens blues and greys as I can so that the tones all blend and I go from one to the other and back again.  I can spend weeks on a painting but will be working on several at one time, I need the many layers to dry in between painting sessions.  The last thing to go on is the excitement of the white spray of the top of the wave.... this is nerve-racking as it can all go horribly wrong or it can work out exactly as I hoped.  The challenge of the sea and the possibility of failure is ever present and that makes it all the more exciting.

There is a big element of chance about these paintings and that's what the sea and life is all about.  If  we don't take a chance or rise to the challenge of what is put in front of us then we aren't really experiencing our full potential.

Now Im off to paint some more..... keep a look out on my website for new work and Im always posting the new stuff on Instagram @denisefrenchartist 

Thanks for visiting
Denise
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I have been looking at the sea, photographing the sea, trying to draw the sea..... then I had an amazing walk on Kilmore Beach on a wild day in September and I thought .....just go ahead and paint the sea!!  Im really enjoying the paintings and the results!  I have a couple going to Greenacres in Wexford for their Christmas exhibition and they are also available in my Online Shop. 
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I know its early to mention the coming season but Christmas is coming and its a great time to treat yourself or your bestie to a lovely, original, hand made, Irish Artwork!  To make it easier for you I have removed all shipping charges until December 31st and I will also include a free pack of my Greeting cards with every order. Simply pop over to my Shop page and ordering is really simple, if you are in the Dublin Area or North Wicklow I can deliver, otherwise I use An Post who I find really reliable.  
If you want to see the work in real life you can visit my studio in Dalkey by appointment only, or I have paintings on view currently in the Guinness Gallery Foxrock, The Intermarium Gallery Cornelscourt, and Southshore Arts in Dalkey.
Just let me know how I can help and I will do my best to find you a lovely artwork that suits your home and budget - if there is something on the website that is not in the shop just let me know and I can send it to the shop for you - its hard to keep it all up to date!!
Happy shopping and do let me know if you think I can improve anything on the site to make it easier for you.
All the best      Denise
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Wexford Festival Opera 
Guinness Gallery Foxrock

It was a wonderful hot and very busy summer for everyone this year and thanks to all of you who came to my Solo Exhibition in June at the Signal Arts Centre in Bray, it was a great event and met lots of new and returning customers.  There was also a great demand for my new range of Greeting cards which I launched at the exhibition, you can now buy these online from my website shop and I hope to have them available at a local outlet in Glasthule soon.

I am delighted to let you know that the Guinness Gallery in Foxrock Village will have some of my paintings on display for the next month - this is a great opportunity to buy a nice early Christmas present for yourself.  

Greenacres Gallery in the heart of Wexford has, once again, selected my work for their Premier event of the year which is the Opera Festival Exhibition.  This year celebrates the 67th Festival and the exhibition promises to be even better than ever.

I am constantly updating my website with new work - sometimes I cant keep up so if you see something on the site that you like but it is not in the shop please let me know and I will pop it in there for you.

remember you can always buy online now that I have my shop up and running - I am currently offering FREE shipping for a limited period. 

Follow me on DeniseFrenchArtist on Instagram or Denise French on FB
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March 2018 has brought snow, ice and wind, lots of things we are really not used to here in Ireland, its been wild and disruptive and a time for reflection and looking at things in a different way.  I had a similar experience in February but it was not a weather event, it was an Artists Residency in the beautiful Cow House Studios, Rathnure, Co Wexford in the foothills of the Blackstairs mountains..... It was also artistically wild, disruptive and a time for reflection - and got me thinking about lots of things in a different way.  What a great experience I had as a guest of the wonderful Rosie O Gorman and Frank Abruzzese, both artists who have created a haven for fellow artists on the OGorman family farm which has been in the family for 250 years.  The old Cow house has been converted into several studios and the barn has become very nice accommodation.  Myself and the three other international artists were looked after and fed wonderful healthy organic meals by Catriona who is their full time chef, so we were free to create and discuss and create some more.  Having a large  well equipped studio also helps to incubate new ideas in a new space, and I have lots of new ideas now which I will be working on over the next year or so.   It was a great honour to be selected for the residency and I look forward to going there again in the future.
I made a daily diary of my walks in response to the local roads and hedgerows which got me thinking about all the other walks and happenings that have been on those roads over the years..... leave it with me for now and lets see what comes to the surface.  
So here are some of the drawings, follow me on Instagram DeniseFrenchArtist to keep up to date with my new work and news of upcoming exhibitions.

 
Since my really well received solo exhibition last Christmas I have been working away preparing new work and looking for new venues where you can come to see my work.  I am delighted to tell you that I have an exhibition currently running at The Grapevine Gallery in Dalkey.   The Grapevine is a lovely wine bar and wine shop on the main street in the heart of this lovely heritage town.  Its a great spot to while away an afternoon over a cheeseboard and a glass of wine, or two!
 
Continuing on the same theme – me and wine - Greenacres Gallery, Wine Shop and Restaurant in the centre of Wexford town did a great job for me last summer and they had lots of visitors and lots of sales in their summer exhibition featuring about 30 Irish artists, both painters and sculptors. 
The world famous Opera Festival is held in Wexford town every October and Greenacres hold a wonderful annual exhibition to coincide with the festival. There has been a great response again this year to the Art in Greenacres and there are many other exhibitions on around the town.
Do drop in if you are in the Sunny South East.
 
I hope you get a chance to visit one of these shows, you can also keep an eye on my new works on my website or social media pages.  
Click on the buttons below to bring you directly to my website, FB and Instagram pages, and while you are there remember to "Like" or "Follow" so that you can keep up to date with my new works as they appear.

You can also contact me directly if you have any enquiries or questions please email denise@denisefrench.net 
I will be updating the website from time to time with new works but if you see anything on Social Media which you would like to treat yourself to please contact me directly.
 
In other news I have a solo exhibition coming up next June 2018 at Signal Arts Centre in Bray so keep a look out for more details of that coming soon.

Wishing you all the best this Autumn,
Denise

Glorious summer sunshine today in Dalkey and I am inspired to get painting, but first I want to introduce myself to you.  I live and work near the sea in South Dublin, I love to visit the west coast of France and all parts of Ireland so it is mostly these landscapes which inspire my work.  

When I start painting or drawing on any given day I don't have a set idea of what the painting will turn out like, If I have a specific location in mind then I do research and take photos, make some drawings, and then just see what comes onto the page.  The drawings usually evolve over time and again are very instinctive, they either work or they don't.  If something doesn't work then it doesn't survive long...... it gets put in the bold corner to be painted over at a later date!!

For as long as I can remember I wanted to paint and to draw..... as a kid I was always making stuff and experimenting with bits and peices of whatever was to hand.  My mum was always doing crafts in the garage which she sold at markets; christmas logs, wreaths, dried flower arrangements ....and we got to help, so I suppose its in my bones!
Then I grew up, worked, travelled, had three lovely kids, had lots of fun, enjoyed life...... and started to paint and make again with the children.
I managed (eventually) to go to college and I got a Visual Arts Practice degree from IADT Dun Laoghiare...challenging, interesting, great fun... me and all the 20 year olds!
I had a solo exhibition in 2006 when I graduated - what a fantastic buzz, sold almost everything.   I have been involved with the Dun Laoghaire Art Gallery over the past 4 years and had my second solo exhibition there in December 2016 - again a fantastic response and loads of sales!!
So thats me, I hope you enjoy my work, please respond to the blog if you feel like it and you can also follow Dalkey Art Studio on FB and TW.
Currently my work is on show in the beautiful Greenacres Art Gallery in Wexford where you will also find a fab wine shop, deli and Restaurant. I can also be found at the new Gallery in Dalkey upstairs in the Grapevine wine bar on Castle Street.