More From Dennis Sheehan . . .
My desire to become a painter started in grammar school and became much stronger through high school, then Art School. My high school art instructor was a very big part of my journey, as he removed all doubt and fear that I might fail or disappoint my parents who wanted me to go to a ‘normal’ program and then get a ‘real’ job with a steady income. Thankfully I persuaded them to see my unwavering desire to be a painter at any cost.
I went to Vesper George Art School in Boston, then Montserrat School of Visual Art in Beverly, Massachusetts. Further study was achieved with Richard Whitney, Robert Cormier and Robert Douglas Hunter. I also painted with the Putney Painters under Richard Schmid for 14 years.
Many years ago I went to a Bruce Crane exhibit in Boston, a tonalist artist I never heard of. I stood before his painting of a snow scene with awe and deep reverence for his depiction of nature, conveying a deeply moving, poetic statement. This was the moment I made a vow to myself to follow this course of landscape painting referred to as Tonalism.
“I believe the purpose of art is to enhance and enrich one's life and the lives of others.”
