Channeling Van Gogh

Dena Peterson, photo courtesy of Hugh Welchman

COLORADO SPRINGS STORE EVENT

Channeling Van Gogh: My Brief Life as a Painter/Animator for Loving Vincent

LOVING VINCENT is the world’s first fully oil painted feature film about the life and death of Dutch painter, Vincent Van Gogh, as told by characters in his paintings. Written & directed by Dorota Kobiela & Hugh Welchman, produced by Poland’s BreakThru Films & UK’s Trademark Films.

Join Colorado artist Dena Peterson as she shares her unique experiences as a painter and animator for the film, “Loving Vincent”, by Breakthru Films.

Peterson, spent 5 1/2 months in Gdansk, Poland working as an oil painter and animator on LOVING VINCENT. She was one of 125 international artists selected from 5000 portfolio submissions to recreate scenes in oil paint based on Van Gogh’s paintings. Peterson feels extremely honored to have been invited to be a part of the making of a film that is the first of its kind.

“What makes this film so unique,” she states, “is the process as much as the final result; it is hand-painted and animated by accomplished painters. It is one-of-a-kind. What an amazing tribute to an artist that has inspired so many of us, conceived by an artist herself, Director Dorota Kobiela.”

About the artist: Dena Peterson's small town roots prompted one of her art professors to comment that her work expresses a love of intimate, quiet, and peaceful spaces. She enjoys the richness and texture of painting with oils, both en plein air, and in her Colorado Springs studio.

Among her teachers and mentors are Kevin MacPherson, Kevin Weckback and Jay Moore. She is a signature member of the American Impressionist Society and Women Artists of the West and Associate Member of Oil Painters of America and Plein Air Artists Colorado.

Dena is represented by the Hunter-Wolff Gallery in Colorado Springs. She also enjoys inspiring others through teaching.

“For me, painting is not about duplicating reality. I paint to evoke emotion.” Her work can be seen at denapaints.com