DENISE INCAO - BIOGRAPHY
Born in Columbus, GA
Lives & works in Paulden, AZ
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Denise Incao has always felt at home in the natural world. She has made it her life’s work to express the beauty and compassion of nature and spirit through various forms of art, from abstract expressionistic wall pieces to archetypal masks to whimsical and functional vessels, as well as jewelry. Denise’s sculptural creations are a combination of ceramic work and found objects, both natural and human made, emanating the earthy, primordial roots of humankind and of art itself. Raw and alive, yet elegant and contained, Denise’s work shows a mastery of form infused with a passionate spontaneity.
“I choose to work without drawings or plans, allowing a natural expressionistic process to unfold. Much of what comes through is influenced by years of adventures in nature, travel, my education in anthropology and psychology, and love of all that is close to the Earth and that reflects her mystery and bounty.”
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Layers of intricate texture seem to trace eons of geologic time; myriads of tiny shapes form fluid patterns glazed and painted in a shimmering earthen palette; playful prints and a delightful effusion of ornaments are brought together to convey harmony, movement, tenderness, joy, and abundance. The result is a celebration of the organic innocence of the natural world, and the noble grace with which Nature ultimately brings all things, including human beings and our creations, back into balance.
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Denise was born in Columbus, Georgia in 1966. Her young life was spent roaming forests, playing in gardens, and sailing and exploring the barrier island beaches of Northern Florida. In 1995, she graduated Cum Laude with a BFA from Auburn University in Alabama – she was the first to do so with a Studio Emphasis in Sculptural Ceramics. While building a respectable representation at galleries and museums in the southeast, she also created and directed various ceramics programs for schools and camps in Alabama, Tennessee, and North Florida, as well as adult classes and private lessons in North Florida. Denise continued these same pursuits after moving to Prescott, Arizona in 1998. She is still creating new works in her Paulden home studio, while teaching children and adults to speak through clay.
“The act of creation is as necessary to me as eating and sleeping.
It feeds my soul.
My hope for my work, after it has served to connect me to my true being, is to pass into hands that it will serve in other ways.
People often say that they have a profound response to my work.
It speaks to them.
Whatever it says and however it benefits is very personal, as is my time with each piece.
That’s the reward!”
