The natural world inspires my paintings, prints and cut paper structures. Outside, I observe my surroundings at an unhurried pace, it is an introspective process that allows me to contemplate my spiritual and physical connections with the world around me.
My perceptions of natural ecosystems open pathways of thought that become topographies of the landscape experience, real and imagined. Through the slow and deliberate act of drawing I consider how different elements interact. I use varied viewpoints and perspectives to emphasize the movement from one location to another. I combine my observational drawings with maps and star charts to question the relationship between natural and man-made environments.
The layered and meticulously worked surfaces of my work are not predetermined—time, alteration and contingency are part of my process. Drawings make their way into paintings and prints become cut-paper assemblages. Curiously, even after numerous modifications, a trace of the turbulence, tranquility and beauty that inspired the work remains.
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Denise Manseau, b. 1959 Massachusetts, currently lives and works in Rye, New Hampshire. Manseau holds a BFA from the University of Massachusetts Lowell and an MFA from Massachusetts College of Art and Design. Manseau attended Haystack Mountain School of Craft in Maine as an Open Studio Resident and as a resident artist at Vermont Studio Center. Work from her residency at Lo Studio dei Nipote, Monasterace, Italy was included in a traveling exhibition from the Monasterace Museo to the Hillyer Art Space for International Artists, Washington, DC. Recent exhibitions include 3S Artspace, New Hampshire, Westbeth Gallery, New York and The Piano Factory, Boston.
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Manseau is a member of Pell Lucy, an international artist collective founded in 2020 that organizes in person and online exhibitions. In 2009 Manseau co-founded Arts Research Collaborative, a space dedicated to contemporary arts research with a focus on visual arts education, connecting UMass Lowell students and the arts community.
Pell Lucy :: Online Exhibitions
Winter 2024 Exhibition – Beyond the Ken
July 5 – January 3, 2025
Pell Lucy :: PellLucy.com
Arts Research Collaborative :: artsresearchcollaborative.com
82 Prescott Street, Lowell, Massachusetts