Denise Tennen

Location

1618 Central Avenue Northeast
Studio 224
Minneapolis, MN
Map & Directions

Online

I create my sculpture in my studio at the Thorp building and exhibit year-round at Tres Leches Gallery in Suite 171/173 in the Northrup King Building.

At the core of each of my sculptures is a sense of dance: stillness in motion. My works are distinguished by their flowing and rounded forms, whether small enough to fit in your hand or large enough to fill an entire courtyard. I explore that artistic territory between the abstract and the recognizable, drawing on the work of Henri Matisse and Isamu Noguchi as major influences. I work with a variety of materials including wood, wire and textiles; however my main medium is clay, with coil-building my preferred construction technique. My favorite finishes have the sheen of raw clay with the permanence of time. In all of my sculpture my intention is to bring to bring beauty and zest to the world through my work.

Denise Tennen is open on Friday, Saturday & Sunday of Art-A-Whirl weekend.

While Art-A-Whirl® 2021 is online this year, the artist-run gallery I am part of,

Tres Leches Art in the Northrup King Building, is excited to offer Special Extended Retail Hours on May 14, 15, and 16 that require advance reservation. These hours are as follows:

Friday, May 14, 12:00 – 8:00 PM
Saturday, May 15, 12:00 – 8:00 PM
Sunday, May 16, 12:00 – 5:00 PM

Or, skip registration and stop by any other Open Saturday in May, 12:00-5:00pm.

Denise

Online Sales

Denise Tennen takes online orders for pickup through this website.

Pickup Hours

By appointment only. Please indicate desired pickup times when you check out.

Commissions

Denise Tennen takes commissions.

Image Gallery

Online Store

Mother Birds Travel Orb Series Poetry Orb Series Dancer Series

Mother Birds

Each Mother Bird is handmade of clay by the ancient coil method ; trimmed and smoothed; then kiln-fired to a satin glaze finish. These Mother Birds are among Denise’s signature motifs. Glorious to the touch they fit sweetly in you hands. Available in Aqua, white and blue

Custom colors available upon request for $40 additional, invoiced separately

Dimensions vary: under 5” wide

Curbside pick-up. Custom packing and shipping also available and invoiced separately. Email artist to arrange for either option: tennen.art@gmail.com

Mother Birds – Aqua

$60.00

Mother Birds – Cobalt Blue

$60.00

Mother Birds – White

$60.00

Travel Orb Series

Every sculpture in the Travel Orb series is one-of-a-kind. With the series I hope to share the meditative presence and calm I experience as I make these spirited works. Designed to be accessible in both size and price, these works are part of my Poetry Orb series which are a twist on the traditional ceramic vessel and conceived as “Containers of Breath”.

Satin finish is a sensory experience not to be missed – glorious to the touch

Curbside pick-up. Custom packing and shipping also available and invoiced separately. Email artist to arrange for either option: tennen.art@gmail.com

Bahlan, Travel Orb

$90.00

Bruno, Travel Orb Series

$90.00

Freddo, Travel Orb Series

$80.00

Hark, Travel Orb Series

$80.00

Lali, Travel Orb Series

$90.00

Rolf, Travel Orb Series

$80.00

Scintilla, Travel Orb Series

$90.00

Wilf, Travel Orb Series

$90.00

Poetry Orb Series

My medium is clay, my main process coil construction. I trim back the surface to reduce the weight; then smooth, smooth, smooth; finishing the work with a fired satin matt glaze. These works are meant to be touched.

In a twist on the tradition of clay vessels for holding tangible objects, I think of these totally enclosed forms as containers of breath.

For me, both creating and viewing these works is a form of meditation. Through sharing this series I hope to share this peaceful state of mind with you.

Curbside pick-up. Custom packing and shipping also available and invoiced separately. Email artist to arrange for either option: tennen.art@gmail.com

Auricle, Poetry Orb Series

$300.00

Baby Toes, Poetry Orb Series

$165.00

Swirl, Poetry Orb Series

$300.00

Dancer Series

Each vibrant dancer is individually sculpted, with subtle variation in the position of limbs, hands and feet, tilt of head; a stencil is used to cut out the basic form from a slab of clay, details are added in bas relief with additional clay.

Specify which color gradation is desired: red, turquoise/green, purple or blue.

Approximately 6″ in height.

Neodymium magnet on the back of each dancer allows you to mount these anywhere you can put a wide-head (3/8″) screw into the wall.( Tip for removing dancer from screw: hold dancer and swipe left or right)

Curbside pick-up. Custom packing and shipping also available and invoiced separately. Email artist to arrange for either option: tennen.art@gmail.com