Statement-Awards
Have you ever been driving down the road and glimpsed something in the landscape that made you turn your car around and return to see it again? That's what I want my paintings to express. Whether it's the lighting, the colors, the shapes or all the above, that's what I'm trying to capture on canvas - a picture that you never tire of viewing because it brings back memories, a place you want to live or visit.
My paintings begin with an awareness of the light and dark shapes before me. When a subject calls me, I begin with sketches to establish my composition and the painting's sense of color relationships. Then I transfer the sketch, with a black grease pencil in more detail, to the larger painting surface. After undercoating the entire white surface with a transparent wash of raw umber liquid acrylic paint, I begin painting from darks to lights until finished. Like creating a musical composition, it should have rhythm, tempo and harmony as well as soft-hard and warm-cool passages. The eye should be drawn to the center of interest, then wander around the rest of the picture, pausing briefly before returning to the beginning.
The result is my extremely delicate, yet tactile, manifestation of natural forces and light. The paintings possess qualities meant to outlast the viewer's initial infatuation, qualities that will endure well into succeeding generations.
American Impressionist Society, Inc Exhibition, 2023
Coors National Western Club Exhibit & Sale, 2017
International Association of Pastel Societies, 2015, Master Circle Medallion
American Impressionist Society 15th National Juried Exhibition, 2014
10th Annual Mile High International Pastel Exhibition, 2014
Evergreen Main Street Gallery Juried Exhibition, 2014, Silver Award
Colorado Plein Air Juried Exhibition, 2014, Silver Award
Pastel Society of Colorado 10th Annual National Exhibition, 2014
Plein Air Artists Colorado 18th National Juried Exhibition, 2014, Silver Award
International Association of Pastel Societies 24th Juried Exhibition, 2014
International Association of Pastel Societies 10th National Convention, 2013
Juried Exhibition Bronze Award and 2 Paste Painting Demonstrations
International Association of Pastel Societies Biannual Juried Exhibition, 2011
Richeson 75 International Annual Juried Exhibition, 2010, Best of Show
Pastel Society of Colorado, 2009, Elected Master Member
Pastel Society of America, 2007, Elected Master Member
Pastel Journal '100 Best Pastels' Landscapes, 2005, 2007, 2012, 2016, 2017
Pastel Society of America Annual Juried Exhibition, 2006, Allied Artists of America Award
Pastel Journal '100 Best Pastels' Landscapes Category, 2005
Pastel Society of Colorado Annual Juried Exhibition, 2004, Best of Show
Dennis Rhoades is a Master Member of the Pastel Society of America, the Pastel Society of Colorado, a member of the Oil Painters of America, the American Impressionist Society, Pastel Society of Colorado, and the Pastel Society of New Mexico. He has been featured in leading art publications such as Southwest Art, the Pastel Journal and International Artist Magazine. His work also resides in many major public and private collections.