Denise Rudy

Artist Profile

Artist Statement

Denise Rudy creates intricate collage and mixed media portraits that give a voice to women across cultures, time, and circumstance. She describes her work as, using paper and paint to tell the untold stories of women. Her work explores the layered nature of identity, revealing both the visible and the hidden—strength, vulnerability, memory, and quiet resilience held within each figure.
Working primarily with paper, she builds each piece slowly and intuitively. Fragments of color and texture are gathered and arranged, forming compositions that come into focus from a distance, yet invite closer inspection. With each step nearer, new details emerge—echoing the way human stories unfold over time, never fully seen at first glance.
She approaches each portrait not only as an image, but as a presence—one that invites reflection and recognition.
Through her work, she offers an invitation to pause, to look closer, and to encounter the depth within each face—where beauty, complexity, and shared humanity quietly reside.

Artist Bio

Denise Rudy is a lifelong artist whose work bridges painting and intricate collage. With a
background in art education from Ohio University, and a BA in Social Sciences, her
practice is informed by both visual art and an understanding of human experience. She
spent decades nurturing creativity as an Associate Professor/Program Director at Palomar
College. She now focuses on her studio practice, creating detailed collage portraits using
primarily paper, which explore emotional depth, resilience, and interior presence. She
also facilitates classes in expressive art.
Juried Exhibitions:
TAG Gallery, Los Angeles, CA — December 26, 2025 Jan. 2, 2026
Woodward Contemporary Art Gallery, San Diego, CA Nov. 2, 2025 – Jan. 10, 2026
Sturt Haaga Gallery, Descanso Gardens, Flintridge, CA Nov. 1, 2025 – Jan. 4,2026
Norma Hertzog Community Center, Costa Mesa, CA September 13 – 27, 2025
North County Coastal Art Gallery, CA August 4 – September 6, 2025
Las Laguna Art Gallery / Hugo Rivera Gallery, Laguna Beach, CA July 3 – 27, 2025
Foothills Art Association, Porter Hall Gallery, La Mesa, CA June 6 – 10, 2025
Newport Beach Cultural Arts Exhibition, Newport Beach, CA June 28, 2025
Expressive Arts Instructor:
Studio ACE, Oceanside, CA; Seaside Center for Spiritual
Living, Encinitas, CA. Facilitated expressive arts workshops inspired by The Artist’s
Way by Julia Cameron, emphasizing process-based drawing and painting,
Professional Affiliations:
Oceanside Museum of Art – Artist Alliance, California Art League, San Diego Art
Directory , Southern CA Women’s Caucus for Art, Athenaeum Music & Arts Library, Liberty Station Arts District, Carlsbad-Oceanside Art League, Foothills Art Association
Education:
BA, Social Sciences, California State University San Marcos (Cum Laude)
AA, Arts, MiraCosta College
Art Education, Ohio University
Certificate, Expressive Healing Arts, University of Florida
Academic Career:
Program Director & Associate Professor, Dental Assisting, Palomar College (2003-2026)