The Art Guide's Featured march Artist ::Denise Parri

Denise Parri
Resident Artist
white space gallery
1020 Chapel Street, 2nd floor • New Haven, CT 06510
(203) 495-1200 • fax: (203) 495-8400

www.whitespacegallery.com
Email Denise

Biography

Education

Paier School of Art

Achievements

1976-1979 Art Teacher New Haven, C.T.

1994 Began Keka Designs custom interiors, custom painting all private collectors. Also a collection was commissioned for Avesta Computers of the 21st floor of the World Trade Center in New York City.

1995 Jewelry Designer- “Don Lin Jewelry Collection,” mass produced under “Parri” represented at Jacob Javitt Center. Sold in chain stores across the United States, including Walt Disneyland, Disney World, Steinmart and Accessory Lady.

Designer for West Side Story at Shubert Theater in New Haven C.T. Recreated the Parsi Temple for a restaurant in Greenwich village with wall sculpture and faux finishes.

Produced private art shows, and jewelry shows. Earned a living from Venetian plaster work, guilding, and decades of creations with extraordinary faux finishing.

Statement

A visual artist with more than 25 years of related experience connecting creativity to income; Denise has providentially raised a family using her artistic endeavors to generate success.

In 1978, Denise began teaching grades 3-8 at East Rock Community School. She believed in heightening the awareness of the environment by utilizing discarded items to create sculpture and incorporating individual creativity with the curriculum, inspiring young minds to view to the world as their back yard. Ms. Parri (nee Marchitto) also taught at St. Mary’s School in New haven, initiating projects to enhance individuality. Later on, after years of being a stay at home Mom, she became a single mother who needed to financially provide for her children. The family home was in foreclosure and faith led her to use her strengths not only to sustain her financially, but also emotionally ‘keep it all together’.

In 1995, after hosting hundreds of private “Parri Parties” (jewelry shows) to market her hand-made accessories Denise decided to head to Don-Lin Jewelry Company in hopes of representation to mass produce her designs. Within six months she was represented at the Jacob Javitz Center and her line was selling coast to coast with her first sales going to Walt Disney, Accessory Lady and Steinmart. Denise’s full time business, Keka Designs, was her saving grace. She thrived on the faux finishing of interiors, furniture painting, and custom art work of all forms.

Ms. Parri recreated the Parsi Temple, (a restaurant in Greenwich Village) using sculptural inlay in plaster cast and faux finishing. This accomplishment led to her commission of 8 wall sculptures for the 21st floor of the World Trade Center.

Today, Denise volunteers her time to set designing for various fundraisers as a way to say thank you for the talent that has blessed her life. She attributes all of her success to her children, for it was for them that she invented her career... raising them with the only thing she knew.

ART IS SANITY!

 

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