Denise Brooks - Original Watercolors

Artist Statement

I have always enjoyed color and making gifts for family and friends. Many years ago, when I was in Key West I searched for a small watercolor to bring home.  I could not find one anywhere for any price.  I decided then that painting small watercolors would be my retirement gig.  I am not retired but I am painting small and large watercolors. Painting has opened a new world of creativity for me - it brings me so much joy!  

 Playing with paints and creating new colors is such fun. I prefer to paint flowers and gardens but also paint landscapes and seascapes. Being in nature and painting nature is my ‘happy place’. Blue is my favorite color and you can create so many variations of blue. I paint for joy- not precision. I usually have a vague idea of what I want to paint, but not always. Sometimes I mix colors and put them on paper and allow that to guide me. “Mistake” is not in my painting vocabulary, but I ‘detour’ from my original vague ideas frequently! My painting style has been ‘loose’ but I am enjoying being more detail oriented. I started painting on large canvases --- what a trip! I am having even more fun, but I still like my small paintings the best.  Basically, I paint what I like and what makes me happy.  I like to share my paintings with others and I hope my art will inspire, soothe, and bring joy to everyone that sees it. 

Bio: 

Denise Brooks is a Believer, devoted wife, proud mother of four, and “Mima” to twelve grandchildren. She grew up in Alaska and is a self-taught watercolor artist. She finds joy in painting flowers and gardens and is inspired by nature and by her travels around the world. Her bright, cheerful colors reflect her love of life and desire to share happiness through art.  Denise paints for joy, not perfection, embracing the beauty of creativity and connection. She has no plans to retire from her day job but to continue to travel, explore and create. Her work is hung in private homes in Washington, Florida, Colorado, Arizona, West Virginia, Washington DC and New York. She lives in Kent with her husband and cat in the forest. 

 Exhibitions:

• The Firefly Gallery, Northport NY “Post-It Exhibition” 2025
• Ghost Gallery, Seattle WA  “Small Works” 2025
• Vashon Center for the Arts, Vashon WA “Small Works” 2025
• Center for Spiritual Living, Seattle WA  2025-2026
• Lewis County Historical Museum, Chehalis WA 2026
• The Carpenter House,  Olympia WA  Behind the Mask”  2026