3rd Place, 2023 Oils Competition
Denise Antaya, The Ninth Concession, oils. © Denise Antaya, shared with permission.
Denise Antaya
Landscape artist, Denise Antaya, draws inspiration for her paintings from her rural upbringing in Windsor, Ontario. Being far removed from the frenetic pace of more populous areas instilled in her a profound love for the serenity of country roads, the unhurried rhythm of rural life, and taking the time to enjoy open fields, sunshine, and clouds.
Denise Antaya, Under the Red Sky, oils. © Denise Antaya, shared with permission.
She had a 31-year career in the advertising field, painting in her spare time, but after her husband passed away, Antaya decided to pursue a lifelong dream of attending art school and becoming a full-time artist.
She studied figure and still life paintings at an atelier, but never felt satisfied until she took classes with noted landscape painters and began to understand the nuances of light and value through plein air painting. She had found a way to express her love of nature.
For Antaya, landscape painting is not merely an appreciation of nature, it serves as a historical record, documenting the world "as it was" in the face of constant change that threatens to erase old barns, century-old trees, and entire farms. Her work is a visual testament to our past, and a poignant commentary on our future.
Denise Antaya, Where the Deer Run, oils. © Denise Antaya, shared with permission.
Antaya's work reflects her fascination with the power of light to transform what might have been an overlooked scene. "I strive to take an everyday scene and present it in a new light," she says, "and to capture a fleeting moment that will evoke memories of a simpler, peaceful time. If I can make the viewer feel the warmth of the sunshine, the coolness of the shadows, the dancing of light across the fields, or the heaviness of the air preceding a storm, then I have achieved my goal. If I can make the audience feel the magic of nature, then this journey is all worthwhile."
Antaya has been recognized in dozens of shows and exhibitions across Canada and the U.S., where she has won numerous awards for her work. In 2019, she was a finalist in the Canadian reality TV show, Landscape Artist of the Year Canada, which aired in 2020.