Artist Statement
My process is an expressive art of being in the moment and connecting to it. I frequently paint with nature references and little homes. Trees and flowers are calming. Rocks remind me that life can be rough, smooth and awkward. The ocean, in particular, fuels my perspective. It's beautiful, expansive and meditative. I often include houses because to me they represent heart and family. I feel grateful for the opportunity to be in my studio to play, create and grow.
Artist Bio
Dee Tivenan was born in Detroit in 1950 and grew up in a Chicago suburb. She was exposed to art at an early age by her artistic mother and many field trips to the Chicago Art Institute.
Dee received her Bachelor's and Master's Degrees in Special Education. She moved to San Francisco in 1978 to complete her Doctorate in Educational Psychology and Counseling and received her state license in Marriage, Family Therapy. She has been in private practice for close to 40 years.
Dee dabbled in ceramics and watercolors intermittently. When her father died in 201O she began intensively studying painting to help heal her grief. Now painting is a part of her daily life. Dee has discovered how similar painting is to psychotherapy. They both require creativity, patience, play, and awareness of feelings.
Dee is an abstract expressionist artist. She creates meaning from bold colors, lines and shapes. Her mixed media approach often uses acrylics, inks, graphite, yupo paper and collage as a form of personal expression.
Dee Tivenan is an Associate Member of Manhatten Arts International, a member of Valley Art Gallery and Artful Galleries. She also is part of Jen Tough's Artist Alliance and writes a blog called "Head Talk" to support other artists.
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"Artist Dee Tivenan's playful, yet emotionally resonant abstracts attracted collectors and conversation in our gallery for years. She was always supportive to our program, events, and fellow artists as well as making friends and encouraging others."
-Jennifer Perlmutter, Artist and Gallerist
"Dee Tivenan evokes human emotion and captures the diverse atmospheric qualities in nature."
-Renee Phillips, Founder of Manhatten Arts International