DENISE MCGILL WILL DEMONSTRATE IN PASTEL AT CLOVIS ART GUILD SEPTEMBER MEETING

Posted by: Gail Daley

As a high school student, Denise fell in love with the idea of illustrating children’s books after reading Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. However she got married, as many girls do, and started a family so finishing school was put off. After a very messy divorce and years raising her two girls, she remarried. She hadn’t spent the years idle. She began illustrating for children’s magazines and writing several books (mostly craft books). These have been self-published on a limited basis. After the children all left home with careers and families of their own, she finished her Bachelors of Fine Arts degree and is now pursuing a Masters in Illustration. She has also done some work for a small publishing company, Aero Publishing, illustrating Bible stories for children.
Denise also has been teaching art for many years. She worked for the City of Fresno for 14 years teaching watercolor painting to senior citizens, until the budget cuts eliminated the program. She taught with Fresno Adult Community Education for 10 years and has taught many children’s classes both through Community Education and homeschool venues. She lives in Fresno, California with her husband, who is also creative in video and theatrical productions. She is a signature member of the Society of Western Artists, San Joaquin Valley Chapter, and has served as the treasurer for 7 years. She enters art shows every year and has received many ribbons and awards for her work. She loves to read mostly children’s books (of course), to see what is being written, what is hot, and what is not. She also teaches knitting and crochet… many classes meeting at a local Starbucks.