Cover Artist: Denise Frazier Pettee

Denise Frazier Pettee is an artist from Indiana living in Myrtle Beach with her husband, Jim.  After graduating with a bachelor’s degree of Fine Art from Indiana University/Herron School of Art, she taught painting and drawing at the high school level.  She then took a job as a sports figure illustrator with a silk screen design company in Indianapolis. As a freelance advertising illustrator, some years later, Denise’s work was printed in numerous magazine and newspaper publications. When her children began to leave home for college, Denise reconnected with an artist friend and began to paint with oil on canvas.  She learned to paint outdoors – ‘en plein aire.’  Her paintings were hung in a local Indy art gallery, and her work began to sell…early days.

During the following years, she traveled and painted in New England, Italy and France and fell in love with Europe.  Representation in new galleries followed… in Naples, Denver, Cincinnati, Indianapolis and several New England galleries including Rockport MA and Camden, ME.  Her art has been juried into multiple exhibitions, including winning Best in Show Indiana Heritage Arts Exhibition two times and the Hoosier Salon’s President’s Award. Painting subjects have included still life, harbor & boat scenes, landscape, ballet and ballroom figures.

The Pettees have lived in Myrtle Beach for ten years and have a large inventory of paintings. She is not currently represented by a gallery. This month’s cover art is titled ‘Claire in the Garden’ and is owned by a collector.