Denise Elizabeth Stone was born on a farm in the plains of the Texas Panhandle, a place of wide sunny skies, endless wind, and infinite vistas.  She lived in New Mexico for more than a decade, and delighted in the made-for-art light and deep turquoise skies.  Today she lives with husband and best friend Ted and Kaia-thewonderdog in her perfect spot, a beautiful river valley surrounded by mountain ranges in eastern Oregon. 

She has a bachelor of science in education and a master of arts in counseling psychology.  Denise's professional experience includes science teaching in elementary and middle school; counseling and case management for individuals with severe mental illness; individual, couple, and group psychotherapy; and vocational counseling for individuals with disabilities.  She is certified in mediation and currently holds Oregon licensure as a Licensed Professional Counselor.

Artists who have influenced Denise's work include Gustav Klimt, Frida Kahlo, Roxanne Swentzell, Annie Leibovitz, Imogene Cunningham, Lawrence Goldsmith, Jeanne Carbonetti, and the ancient artist-shamans who created enduring images on rock walls, caves, and landscapes throughout the world.

She has worked in pastels, colored pencil, and watercolor.  Her signature medium is batik watercolor, an intricate process that uses handmade Nepalese paper, watercolor or gouache, wax, and ink to create paintings that are the creative descendents of traditional silk and cotton batik fabrics.

Denise's art training has come from classes and workshops taught by talented local artists, distance education classes from a community college, and collegial art experiences with artist friends.  She is mostly self-taught.  Her work has been shown in the Wallowa Festival of the Arts, Baker City's Art at the Crossroads, and at local venues such as the Third Thursday Art Walk, various arts and crafts shows, and the EOU Voices of Women art exhibit.  In New Mexico, she participated in the Los Alamos Studio Tour and various festivals.  Her work is sold in regional shows, or through her home studio, The Rowdy Goddess, and website, www.therowdygoddess.com.

Exhibits:

Voices of Women Exhibit, Eastern Oregon University, 2006, 2008

Third Thursday Art Walk, group show, Mitre's Touch Gallery, La Grande, Oregon, 2007

Third Thursday Art Walk, solo show, Mitre's Touch Gallery, La Grande, Oregon, 2008

Wallowa Festival of the Arts, Joseph, Oregon, 2008.

Art at the Crossroads, Crossroads Art Center, Baker City Oregon, 2008

Third Thursday Art Walk, group show, Mitre's Touch Gallery, La Grande, Oregon, 2008

Union County Arts and Cultural Center Gala, La Grande, Oregon, 2008

Season's Faire, Nightengale Gallery, La Grande, Oregon, 2008

Awards:

Honorable Mention, Season's Faire, 2008

Second place, two dimensional art, Art at the Crossroads, 2008.

People's Choice Award, Art at the Crossroads, 2008