Denise Rohlfs

ArtJazzzArtJazzA ArtJazzzArtJazzA ArtJazzzArtJazzA ArtJazzzArtJazzA ArtJazzzArtJazzA ArtJazzzArtJazzA ArtJazzzArtJazzA ArtJazzzArtJazzA ArtJazzzArtJazzA ArtJazzzArtJazzA ArtJazzzArtJazzA ArtJazzzArtJazzA ArtJazzzArtJazzA ArtJazzzArtJazzA ArtJazzzArtJazzA ArtJazzzArtJazzA ArtJazzzArtJazzA ArtJazzzArtJazzA ArtJazzzArtJazzA ArtJazzzArtJazzA ArtJazzzArtJazzA ArtJazzzArtJazzA ArtJazzzArtJazzA ArtJazzzArtJazzA ArtJazzzArtJazzA ArtJazzzArtJazzA ArtJazzzArtJazzA ArtJazzzArtJazzA ArtJazzzArtJazzA ArtJazzzArtJazzA ArtJazzzArtJazzA ArtJazzzArtJazzA ArtJazzzArtJazzA ArtJazzzArtJazzA ArtJazzzArtJazzA ArtJazzzArtJazzA ArtJazzzArtJazzA ArtJazzzArtJazzA ArtJazzzArtJazzA ArtJazzzArtJazzA ArtJazzzArtJazzA ArtJazzzArtJazzA ArtJazzzArtJazzA ArtJazzzArtJazzA ArtJazzzArtJazzA ArtJazzzArtJazzA ArtJazzzArtJazzA ArtJazzzArtJazzA ArtJazzzArtJazzA ArtJazzzArtJazzA ArtJazzzArtJazzA ArtJazzzArtJazzA ArtJazzzArtJazzA ArtJazzzArtJazzA ArtJazzzArtJazzA ArtJazzzArtJazzA ArtJazzzArtJazzA ArtJazzzArtJazzA ArtJazzzArtJazzA ArtJazzzArtJazzA ArtJazzzArtJazzA ArtJazzzArtJazzA ArtJazzzArtJazzA ArtJazzzArtJazzA ArtJazzzArtJazzA ArtJazzzArtJazzA ArtJazzzArtJazzA ArtJazzzArtJazzA ArtJazzzArtJazzA ArtJazzzArtJazzA ArtJazzzArtJazzA ArtJazzzArtJazzA ArtJazzzArtJazzA ArtJazzzArtJazzA ArtJazzzArtJazzA ArtJazzzArtJazzA ArtJazzzArtJazzA ArtJazzzArtJazzA ArtJazzzArtJazzA ArtJazzzArtJazzA ArtJazzzArtJazzA ArtJazzzArtJazzA ArtJazzzArtJazzA ArtJazzzArtJazzA ArtJazzzArtJazzA ArtJazzzArtJazzA ArtJazzzArtJazzA ArtJazzzArtJazzA ArtJazzzArtJazzA ArtJazzzArtJazzA ArtJazzzArtJazzA ArtJazzzArtJazzA ArtJazzzArtJazzA ArtJazzzArtJazzA ArtJazzzArtJazzA

About me

My Inspiration

About my work

I have been a maker all of my life.

(This is an oil pastel self-portrait I did

in my early twenties.)

I grew up near Chicago, spent decades in both California and New York, and currently live south of Asheville, NC. I have a BFA in painting from California State University, San Jose.

About my work

My Inspiration

About my work

I work in many media: oil, watercolor, gouache, colored pencil, collage, oil pastel, fabric, and clay.

For the past several years, the main inspiration for my work has been my great love of Jazz. I'm trying, in a way, to make jazz without sound, in two, and sometimes three, dimensions. (The mandala above is meant to represent a jazz quartet, with each quadrant following the same basic structure, but each in its own voice. My work of the past several years is meant to be a thank you to the many great artists and innovators in the world of jazz, who have given me such joy and so much to think about over the years.

Show Less

My Inspiration

Mostly jazz, but also creation stories and mythologies. I got to thinking one day, since I like jazz so much, what if I could make up my own religion, based on what I perceive to be the qualities of jazz? (You can read more about that in the Jazz People Writings tab on this site.) From there, I decided that maybe there was a planet somewhere that had picked up radio transmissions of 20th Century Earth jazz, and was so awed by it--what manner of gods could make such sound?--that they based their creation story and the ideals and mores of their society upon their experience of it.

Show Less

Welcome

About me

My Inspiration

About my work

About my work

My Inspiration

About my work

My Inspiration

My Inspiration

My Inspiration