Dene Croft is president and  senior member of the Federation of Canadian artists.

“I’ve always believed that by the time you turn professional as an artist you are a thousand influences deep . . . my great influences are Tamara De Lempicka, Edward Hopper and Gustav Klimt and with endless respect and admiration for the ground that they broke for future painters, I pay homage to them daily in my own work, while constantly pressing forward with my own sense of aesthetic and storytelling.”

Ten years ago I reached a pivotal point in my journey as a painter, and drawing on my interest in metal leaf and gilding I abandoned my high-key palette, maintained my interest in human studies, and became more focused on the creating of ambiance and atmosphere in my work and became less concerned with the drama and theater of my former body of art-deco inspired paintings. My interest in the human form however, has remained – my focus on the creation of “human studies” rather than the painting of “portraits”

” through the use of silver leaf and a limited palette, and with the assistance of my talented models, I attempt to project an ethereal grace in my work – dream like, narrative paintings that leave the viewer writing the end of the story.”

“Painting has become both a great passion and a blessed curse for me; I love what I do and I love to infuse my passion for my art in others and with that, my studio has become a hive of creativity in the mentoring of other artists, and marries my passion for what I do as an artist and my love of people through my teaching”.

Dene Croft