GET TO KNOW ME
THERE IS SO MUCH BEAUTY TO DISCOVER EVERYWHERE AROUND US...
"Leave the roads; take the trails." -Pythagoras
ARTIST BIO
Denise Heil is originally from a small town in the picturesque Netherlands, where even as a small child she was in love with the nature around her and spent many days playing in the little wood behind her house. As soon as she was able to hold a crayon, she started drawing…and simply never stopped.
A self-taught artist, she fell in love once more, this time with a charming man from Utah. Married in 2017, Denise and Mike have since lived in this state of endless beauty that never ceases to amaze and inspire. As an artist, Denise grew into realism with charcoal and pastels as her main mediums and draws evocative portraits of her favorite subjects (wildlife & pets) in lovely detail, with ‘a dash of imagination’ to capture a sense of childlike awe and wonder, as if you see the animal for the first time.
Whenever Denise is not working in her studio, she can be found hiking and adventuring with Mike, practicing martial arts, reading a good book and hanging out with her 3 mischievous cats, or engaged in good conversation over a nice meal with family and friends. Denise is also currently teaching herself acrylic and oil painting and will offer those mediums as options in the near future.
ARTIST STATEMENT
“Wonder and awe fuel everything I make.
I work primarily in charcoal and pastel — mediums that breathe, that hold light and shadow in ways that feel alive. My subjects are most often animals, but what I’m really after is the story beneath the surface. The thing you sense but can’t quite name when you look into the eyes of a creature who knows something you don’t.
The moments that move me most are the ones that feel almost surreal — fireflies surprising you in the dark woods, a big cat mid-stride, your dog’s gaze that holds more than it should, campfire nights that seem to stretch time. These things are real. They’ve always been there. I just want to make sure you see them
My work lives somewhere between realism and reverie — grounded in what’s true, reaching toward what’s felt. If a piece of mine makes you stop, look closer, and remember something you’d almost forgotten — that’s everything.”
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