Dee Schenck Rhodes Profiled in Charleston Art Mag!

 

Dee Schenck Rhodes grew up with art and music in Greensboro, North Carolina. Her father enjoyed painting on the weekends, and he kept her stocked with supplies for her own artistic expression. In high school she studied with an inspiring instructor, but focused on her music during college. Rhodes met her husband while attending the prestigious Duke University, and not long after, they found their way to his hometown of Charleston.
Fast forward to today: Rhodes, her husband, and youngest child live on the Stono River just outside of Charleston. Her three children are all pursuing artistic and academic endeavors. Rhodes is focused exclusively on painting, and often finds herself totally absorbed  by her art in the peaceful setting of home and studio on the river.

The expansive marsh bridging her home and the river provide Rhodes with endless inspiration for her bright, saturated landscapes in oil. She builds up layer after layer, frequently using a palette knife to achieve great texture. The landscapes are loose—Rhodes’ work occupies the space between “representational” and “abstract,” which makes her landscapes easily accessible to viewers.
Rhodes took classes at the Gibbes Museum of Art School and enjoys the figure drawing group at Redux Contemporary Art Center. She is a member of the Charleston Artist Collective, a group of artists who challenge themselves by painting on a different theme each month and then donating a portion of sales to local charities. “I feel so lucky to be part of the Charleston Artist Collective,” says Rhodes. She relishes the way such exercises can push her out of her artistic comfort zone. “The Collective is really inspiring to stimulate new ideas and new ways of doing things,” she says.

Some other inspirations: seeing the crowds at the Met Museum in Manhattan—“all those people who choose to spend their Saturday waiting in line to see great works of art;” the landscape and the cultural richness of Charleston; the Spoleto Festival; and particularly the chamber music series.
We are inspired by her and think you will be too!http://theartmag.com/the-arts/dee-schenck-rhodes/