Doug St. Denis

Categories

Visual Arts | Painting

About

Throughout her long and interesting life, Doug has been passionately active in the arts - as an actor, dancer, painter, writer, potter, folksinger (in the 60s, of course), and author of two books of poetry. Born into a distinguished Navy family that spans six generations, she was partly raised in Coronado, where she took dance lessons, joined Junior Theater, and acted and painted sets at the “original” Coronado Playhouse on the Strand. Her serious study of oil painting began some years later while living in Carmel, where she also performed in local and regional theatrical productions. Back in Coronado as a Navy wife with three young children in the 60s, she began showing her paintings in juried exhibits throughout San Diego County, including the San Diego Art Institute in Balboa Park, where she had two solo shows and was part of a group of San Diego artists who met weekly to draw and paint from live models. She had a solo show at the Trident Gallery at NAS North Island and was a frequent award-winner in Coronado Art Association shows. In 1967, her collage, “The Way I See Things,” won the top prize at the Del Mar Fair. By 1970 she was acting professionally in television (LOTS of commercials!) and the occasional film, commuting regularly to Los Angeles for auditions, work, and acting classes. Working in oil, acrylic, and mixed media, she describes her paintings as “impressionistic,” although she has experimented with a variety of styles over the years. She continues to be influenced and inspired by the work of Matisse and Van Gogh. More recently, her work has been seen at Emerald C Gallery, and in the Coronado Arts Commission-sponsored exhibits at the C3 Gallery, Spreckels Park, and the Coronado Flower Show. At the age of 51, her children grown with careers of their own, she returned to school to earn her degree in Architecture, ultimately becoming a partner at St. Denis & Assoc. Architects, founded in 1972 by her architect/artist husband, Dale St. Denis. She became an active participant in the Coronado community, serving on the Design Review, Historic Resource, and Planning Commissions, as well as on various City task forces and sub-committees. In 2011 she was co-founder (with Heidi Wilson) of the Coronado Cultural Arts Commission, and in 2014 she founded and is currently chair of, the Coronado Island Film Festival, which officially launched in 2016 and is going strong. Doug is a member of the Coronado Rotary Club and the Coronado Community Church. She practices yoga daily, has a big, close, fun family, including a “slew” of grandchildren, and is blessed with treasured friends of all ages. Her painting medium of choice at the moment is oil on plywood.