Denise Richardson
Surreal Landscapes of the American West
Denise is a conceptual western painter who discovered acrylics 18 years ago and uses art as a visual language, influenced by the rural Colorado landscape where she lives. She creates paintings that reinterpret the American West through landscape, myth, and modern life, while expanding her work in 2025 to intersect with environmental advocacy and nonprofit partnerships.
Hi, I’m Denise
I fell in love with the acrylic process 18 years ago—first as a self-taught form of stress relief growing up in Utah, then later through formal instruction at Colorado State University. Painting became a visual language for me, offering connection and expression where my hearing impairment sometimes made words feel limiting.
Today, I live on a quiet stretch of land in rural Colorado, where the solitude fuels much of my inspiration. The land itself—its open skies, wildlife, silence—finds its way into my work. At the same time, I’m grounded by community through my longtime studio in Kashi Kari Co-op in Denver where I keep up engagement with artists and visitors.
Influenced by the Georgia O’Keeffe’s independent spirit, I’m driven to create one-of-a-kind, contemporary conceptual westerns—works that reinterpret landscape, myth, and modern life in the American West. I intentionally focus on original paintings, preserving the intimacy and individuality of each piece for their collector.
My mission as an artist is to tell stories that matter—stories rooted in land, identity, and imagination. In 2025, I’m expanding my work to intersect more directly with environmental advocacy and nonprofit partnerships, using art as a way to listen, connect, and inspire action. I believe in the power of narrative-driven art not only to reflect the world, but to shape it.
-xoxo, Denise