Denise Van Deroef
Artist & Educator
I have been a painter since my teen years. My favorite mediums are fast drying acrylics and watercolors, but I also occasionally paint with oils, pastels and mixed media. Scenic landscapes and wildlife are my favorite subjects to explore. My painting style is influenced by the realism of the Hudson River School of the 19th century, French Impressionism, and 20th Century American scenic painters and illustrators. I especially admire the clarity and precision of the scenic paintings created by Andrew Wyeth during the second half of the 20th Century.
I received my art education in northern New Jersey and the NYC metro area. I earned my BFA in Visual Arts and teaching credentials (NJ k-12) from Kean University of NJ, and completed my graduate studies (MA) at Montclair (NJ) State University, and the School of Visual Arts in NYC. I was a Visual Arts teacher at Morris Hills Regional High School in Morris County NJ for 37 years. For the last decade of my teaching career, I was the Advanced Placement Instructor for AP 2D Art Studio, and AP Art History.
In recent years, I painted and exhibited in the Finger Lakes Region of NY State from 2010 until 2020. There I served on the Board of Directors of the Ontario County Arts Council, and taught adult painting classes at the OCAC facility and in the local libraries. In Ontario County
I also served on the Board of Trustees for the Bristol NY Library, and the Bristol Hills Historical Society.
Since moving to Delaware in 2021, I have been exhibiting and selling my paintings at the Newark Arts Alliance. At NAA I am a facility Monitor, and I serve on the Main Gallery Exhibit Committee. I am also a member of the Cecil County Arts Council of Maryland, and an artist member of the Center for Creative Arts in Hockessin, Delaware.
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Most of my artwork, past and present, can be viewed and purchased as prints, cards and products through Fine Art America. You can access that artwork by using this link below: