May Featured Artist – Dena Whitener

Dena is a very talented colored pencil artist who graciously showed me her studio and the step-by-step process she uses to create her one-of-a-kind pieces. She begins by setting up her still life and sets the lighting for the object(s) she will draw. She then draws a contour drawing (a version of an outline) with a pencil on layout paper. Once she is satisfied with the contour drawing, she uses stencil paper to transfer the contour drawing onto the good drawing paper, which is usually Canson Mi-Teintes. Dena then begins drawing with her colored pencils, keeping a scrap of the Canson nearby to check colors and color placement. The result of her many hours spent designing and creating each piece is a lovely, intricate drawing with beautiful details. Her work is beautiful both from a distance and up close, where you can see the delicate details and appreciate the talent that she puts into her art form.

Dena studied art at Chicago Academy of Fine Arts (1970-1972) and the Instituto Allende in San Miguel, Mexico (1973-1974), she then completed her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1986 at Memphis State University.

In Georgia, she worked for 18 years in the art department of a large screen printing company. While living in Memphis, she was a designer for Cleo Wrap, the world’s largest manufacturer of Christmas wrapping paper.

Dena is a member of the Art Guild and Signature Member of the Colored Pencil Society of America, and her work has been published in several of the Best of Colored Pencil books.