Denise Gieseke-Penizzotto is a visual artist living and working in New York City. She grew up studying nature with pen and sketchpad in hand on her family farm in Minnesota - a practice that continues to surface today in her oil paintings and sketches of wildlife and nature in imaginative settings. She received her BA from Hunter College, NYC with an independently designed program under the title, “The Artistic Dimensions of Religion,” combining her studio practice with her research in sacred symbolism and systems, creating a delicate balance of nature and mythology in her work. She went on to attend Harvard Divinity School (MTS candidate ’23) to pursue her self-designed directed research program in the sacred arts. With this opportunity Denise has combined her studio practice with her research in systems and structure practiced by ancient religious artists, creating work that delves into the natural world, the idea of the sacred and the human hand that influences our earthly presence.

Her work has been exhibited in galleries and institutions in New York, and internationally in Japan, Korea, and Singapore. She is a recipient of the NYC Metropolitan Museum of Art’s in situ copyist program, chosen as an Artists of the 5 Boroughs for Denise Bibro Gallery, is the Brooklyn Academy of Music Harvey Theater renovation and restoration artist and a recipient of a Mellon Foundation Grant for her project “Sacred and Profane: Contemporary Art in Sacred Space.” She has worked extensively with Universal Studios and Disney as a lead artist of mural and decorative finishes and has in-depth knowledge in the fabrication and installation of large scale public art projects.

Artist Statement
I am a visual artist, working primarily as an oil painter on canvas and pen, pencil, and oil stick on paper. I have deep concerns about the health of our planet earth and the living beings that have less control of their existence as climate conditions rapidly shift; I also have great hope in the many regenerative actions that are being taken by those who have similar concerns about all living things.

My recent work has focused on this concept of regeneration – to bring forth again – and through this work my aim is to remind us of what has been lost but also to recognize and exalt the regeneration that abounds. My work attempts to show this in both literal and allegorical settings based on ideas generated from my life encounters with the natural world and triggered by my exuberance along with my concerns.

Art is a tool of communication that helps us imagine the possibilities. It affects us emotionally and can be a tool that provides the visual to our global challenges. Bringing art into the conversation helps us address our myriad of  perspectives and can help unite us in a common goal. My intention with my current work is aimed toward imagining global solutions through visual acknowledgement of what we have and what we have lost.