Born in Zimbabwe, Heather Denison spent her early years working as a graphic designer before her love of wildlife drew her to a career in art. Her work, traditionally featuring the wild animals of Africa, took on a distinctly kiwi flavour in 2003, when she and her family moved to New Zealand. Now working from her studio in the Hawke’s Bay countryside, Denison’s still-life work assembles an equally realistic and fantastical combination of past and present, man-made and natural elements.
“My inspiration comes, mostly, from the connection between the natural world and the human element,” Dennison explains. Her unique combination of subjects echo not only this connection, but also a delicate balance that exists.
Nature has been a lifelong love for Denison, who spent a lot of time with her family at nature reserves. Watching the way that animals gathered and interacted together around waterholes was of particular interest.
“I think that interaction between the animals is what still informs some of my work; but the move to New Zealand brought a new perspective; one of questioning what I would be bringing to this new land, and a look back at history to see what previous settlers had brought and what had been destroyed along the way.
“I found that I had brought with me a lot of "treasured" items, some of which are still packed away in boxes. However, some of the beautiful cups and teapots that belonged to previous generations in my family have made their way into my paintings, and I do love searching out beautiful pieces in the antique shops too.”
Denison begins each painting by sketching out an idea on paper, then setting up a still life in her studio. The creatures are added from reference photos, but always adapted to suit the story of each individual work.
A large, rural garden provides numerous opportunities to photograph wildlife, but photos of endangered species are gathered on specific trips into New Zealand’s bush.
Even when she is not in her studio, Dennison finds her mind often wanders to her work. “Each painting takes many hours from concept to finish, but I become so involved with it.”
“Painting is such a big part of my life. It can be very frustrating when things are not going well in the studio, but that just makes me more determined to figure it out! When I finish a work, I’m always excited to start the next piece, and I hope that it will be better than the last. I think that is where the motivation lies; looking to create that elusive masterpiece.”
You can view more of Heather Denison’s work at heatherdenison.co.nz.
“My inspiration comes, mostly, from the connection between the natural world and the human element,” Dennison explains. Her unique combination of subjects echo not only this connection, but also a delicate balance that exists.
Nature has been a lifelong love for Denison, who spent a lot of time with her family at nature reserves. Watching the way that animals gathered and interacted together around waterholes was of particular interest.
“I think that interaction between the animals is what still informs some of my work; but the move to New Zealand brought a new perspective; one of questioning what I would be bringing to this new land, and a look back at history to see what previous settlers had brought and what had been destroyed along the way.
“I found that I had brought with me a lot of "treasured" items, some of which are still packed away in boxes. However, some of the beautiful cups and teapots that belonged to previous generations in my family have made their way into my paintings, and I do love searching out beautiful pieces in the antique shops too.”
Denison begins each painting by sketching out an idea on paper, then setting up a still life in her studio. The creatures are added from reference photos, but always adapted to suit the story of each individual work.
A large, rural garden provides numerous opportunities to photograph wildlife, but photos of endangered species are gathered on specific trips into New Zealand’s bush.
Even when she is not in her studio, Dennison finds her mind often wanders to her work. “Each painting takes many hours from concept to finish, but I become so involved with it.”
“Painting is such a big part of my life. It can be very frustrating when things are not going well in the studio, but that just makes me more determined to figure it out! When I finish a work, I’m always excited to start the next piece, and I hope that it will be better than the last. I think that is where the motivation lies; looking to create that elusive masterpiece.”
You can view more of Heather Denison’s work at heatherdenison.co.nz.
