Denton Lund

Denton Lund has possessed a natural artistic talent from early childhood. Family and friends encouraged him to develop his art, and perfect his style. After serving a tour of duty with the Navy, he studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in New York City and went on to receive his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn. He became a successful commercial illustrator and design artist in New York City, but it was not until he moved to New Mexico that he fulfilled his dream of painting.

While living in New Mexico, Denton started experimenting with the materials he used to create his Western and wildlife art. He realized that oil and canvas did not achieve the look he wanted, and he knew that the thinner dyes from his commercial illustrations did. He experimented with thinning paints and started making his own canvas.

Denton creates his own canvas by using layers of silk-like material, rather than traditional cotton. By layering and bonding the material that is attached to stretcher bars, he is able to work from within the surface outward to the finished piece. He starts by sketching out the image in burnt sienna oils on the fabric. While the paints are still wet, Denton adheres a second layer of material. The process is repeated several times using thinned, wet paint that saturates the layer above. The finished painting has color reflecting upward from the inner layers as well as the pigment and shadowing that is applied to the outer surface.

“I am continuously striving to stretch beyond my limitations and parameters in the process I use, in the themes I select, in the subjects I render, and in the colors I express in my paintings. Each act of painting, as it becomes more spontaneous, also becomes a satisfying journey of delight and discovery.”