Oct. 12, 2008 — St. John artist Denise Wright is exploring new ground when it comes to her work. After spending years painting trompe l'oeil murals and doing "representational" art, she's now creating pieces using a process called layering.
"I use a lot of different materials," Wright says.
Paper is one of those materials, and Wright scoured the stores on a recent trip to the States to send home boxes of supplies for her new works. In addition to paper, she also uses materials such as gels and pastes for her three-dimensional works.
"This is a dried orchid," she says, pointing to a raised flower in one of her pieces.
Wright has always been involved in art, and says she can't remember a time in her life when she wasn't "drawing, painting and creating."
After taking art classes all through elementary and high schools, she continued her studies with workshops. She looked for new art dimensions after her husband, Gary Wright, died in 2003.
"Gary's passing had a big effect," she says.
Indeed, while St. John's natural beauty continues to inspire her, it's more of a spiritual inspiration than a visual one.
"I think how grateful I am that I have the gift of creating artwork, and for my friends," she says.
She's transported when she paints, Wright says, and it's immaterial whether the piece sells or not. They do sell, however — at the Artists Association of St. John Gallery, located in the Lumberyard Shopping Complex.
That said, she is pleased when someone buys them, because it's an acknowledgment of the beauty she's created. And, of course, it helps with the practical aspects of life, like earning a living.
Wright and her husband were living in her native Oregon, where Wright had a small advertising agency, when the two decided to sail around the Caribbean. In 1981 they trailered their boat, a 27-foot sailboat now called Online Vacations, to Fort Lauderdale and headed south.
Landing in Tortola, they ran crewed charter boats for the Moorings. After a couple of years, they moved to St. Thomas to open a yacht brokerage, booking crewed charters for vacationers who wanted a taste of the salty life.
The couple then got jobs at Pusser's in Tortola, with Gary Wright working in computers and his wife as the personal assistant to owner Charles Tobias.
They got to know St. John by sailing over for the annual Coral Bay Thanksgiving Regatta, and in 1992 moved across Drake's Passage to Coral Bay.
"We loved Coral Bay," Wright says.
With experience as charter brokers, the two opened Online Vacations to book sailing charters. However, Wright says they could see there was more interest in booking vacation villas, so they segued into that market. Wright now handles bookings for many St. John vacation rental homes. She also manages one vacation villa.
Online Vacations provides Wright enough flexibility in her life to create art and travel to places like the States and Europe for museum visits. She also likes to visit Oregon to see her daughter, Sharon Kohlmeier; son, Lane Sanders; and grandchildren, Leyna Kohlmeier, 14, Ryan Kohlmeier, 13, and Truly Sanders, 12.
"With my Blackberry I can keep things going," she says, laughing.
For more information, visit denisewrightart.com.
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