Denise Wey
Artist, Denise Wey, was born in Ontario, Canada, in 1955. Her Native American roots play strongly in her life and art. Always connecting with Nature as the inspirational source for her art, she has been creating one thing or another since childhood. As an adult, Denise has made her living as an artist, as a jeweler, a potter, a printer and fine art serigrapher, and a painter in all mediums, from watercolors to acrylics on canvas.
Her work has been sold through exhibitions, auctions, galleries and private collections for well over twenty years, both in Canada and the United States.
Denise has been involved with the Grass Valley Graphics Group in Grass Valley, California for the past twelve years…this is an eclectic group of artists; painters, musicians, & sculptors, who often work and show together, teach the arts in the local community as private classes or in schools, and also volunteer their time for the non-profit Museum of Ancient and Modern Art's Children's Art Academy.
Over the years, her work with this group, which boasts such artists as E.J. Gold, Della Heywood, Zoe Alowan, Margaret Carlson, Lil McGill, Lily Nova, Kelly Rivera, R.C. Trice, Claude Needham, Menlo MacFarlane, Doug Truth, and Tom X, has had some cross-pollination effects with regard to artistic styles and explorations. Of her time with the GVGG Denise shares these insights; "Working alone, I seemed to progress so much more slowly.sometimes not even aware of the problems or the accomplishments in my work. Now I feel so expanded in my abilities.If I'm having a problem, one of my buddies usually can point it out and help me get going again.I learn constantly from the others' mistakes and successes and they, from mine... I'm so much bigger and stronger because of my artist-friends than if I was out there struggling on my own, depending on only my own personal moods and antidotes."
Using the 'You Can Paint' method of painting, developed by pioneer artist, E.J. Gold, (which is the most influencial painting style that she has learned ), Denise is now, happily teaching students in middle and elementary schools, how to paint in acrylics. She is also a part-time teacher of the "You Can Paint' class held every Saturday from 1:00 - 3:00 pm at the Nevada City Veteran's building, which is a drop-in class for all ages, started by Mr. Gold in 2001. Denise is interested in helping to put these classes into written form, so that more people can access the Joy of Painting.
It is her observation that if you create an inviting environment and sit someone down with all the materials in front of them, you can draw the Artist out of anyone!