BIOGRAPHY

Denis Gaston, originally from West Virginia, grew up in the flatlands of Florida. After receiving a Bachelor of Art Degree in Design from the University of Florida in 1968, he worked for fifteen years in the graphic design field in Atlanta. In the early 1980s, taking a different direction, Gaston returned to Florida and embarked on a fine art career. In 1986 he moved to the little Gulf Coast town of Dunedin and opened an art studio, which he continues to maintain.

Gaston’s large scale mixed media pieces employ oil and acrylic, as well as wax, tar, collage, and other materials. His work, at once spontaneous and intuitive, draws inspiration from many cultural traditions around the world. Masks and indigenous art hold a special attraction for him.

Ken Rollins, Past Director of the Tampa Museum of Art, states that “Denis Gaston is an important Florida artist, whose paintings address the human spirit in all of its manifestations.”

Lennie Bennett, art critic for the St. Petersburg Times, writes that “Gaston’s paintings have the primal, evocative feel of ancient cave drawings.”

The Tampa Tribune’s Jenny Carey calls Gaston “a dedicated artist whose mixed media paintings are distinguished and thought provoking.”

In 1990 Gaston was honored with a State of Florida Individual Artist Fellowship, and his art is included in the Florida Art in State Buildings Collection.

He has participated in hundreds of exhibitions and one can find his work in many private and public collections throughout the United States, such as Raymond James Financial Corporation, Holland and Knight Law Firm, Stetson University College of Law and Eckerd College in Florida.

In addition, Gaston’s work is in the permanent collection of the The Polk Museum of Art, Lakeland, Florida.

Over the years, more and more people are gaining an appreciation of Denis Gaston’s mysterious and thought provoking art.