| ITALIAN RIDE, MIXED MEDIA, 36 x 36. |
By Bonnie Gangelhoff
BORN: Oklahoma City, OK.
ART EDUCATION: The Art Institute of Chicago.
STYLE: Whimsically illustrative.
MOST INTERESTING THING ABOUT THE WAY YOU WORK: “My work is very seasonal. My studio is out in the back and doesn’t have very good temperature control. I am mentally seasonal as well.”
FIRST ART SALE: “When I was 16, at the Paseo Arts Festival in Oklahoma City. I sold a painting of people on a couch.”
OTHER PASSIONS: Food and travel.
MANTRA OR MOTTO: “I’m hungry.”
QUIRKIEST TRAIT: “I press the snooze button to keep dreaming.”
BIGGEST FEAR: Boredom.
FAVORITE STUDIO MUSIC: “I like most music where I can’t understand the lyrics and just enjoy the singers’ voices and the instruments.”
BEST ADVICE RECEIVED: “‘Try this!’—when told by any good person who knows not to stay in boundaries!”
PET PEEVE: Politics in churches.
FAVORITE ARTWORK BY ANOTHER ARTIST: “Children’s artwork—kindergarten and under. Especially when they explain it.”
PRICE RANGE: $300 to $4,000.
NEXT BIG GOAL: “Not letting the recession keep me from traveling.”
CREATIVE SPARK: Curiosity.
I’LL KNOW I’VE MADE IT WHEN: “I can get a constant supply of burrata (a cheese similar to mozzarella but richer) and colatella (a type of prosciutto), and a 25-course meal at The French Laundry every season.”
GALLERIES: JRB Art at the Elms, Oklahoma City, OK; www.deniseduongart.blogspot.com.
Featured in our annual “21 Under 31” article in September 2008