Baker Artist Portfolios

Denese King-Ashley's artistic practice navigates seamlessly between monumental portraiture and intricate botanical metamorphosis, each piece revealing her masterful command of multiple mediums. In her recent large-scale portraits, she elevates familial subjects to near-mythological status. Working primarily in oil, graphite and pen, she captures the commanding presence of her subjects – a matriarch's quiet authority, a child's moment of contemplation, a mix of metaphoric ambiance. Though these works emerge from intimate conversations and photographic studies, King-Ashley deliberately maintains a delicate balance between revelation and privacy, allowing her subjects' penetrating gazes to speak volumes while preserving their personal sanctuaries.
Parallel to her portraiture, King-Ashley's innovative approach to floriography demonstrates her technical virtuosity. These works begin as precise botanical studies but evolve into complex visual narratives. Using a combination of traditional drawing techniques and experimental mark-making, she creates flowing transitions where leaves might become faces, stems transform into architectural elements, and botanical forms morph into unexpected fauna. This transformation occurs at various scales, from intimate studies to expansive wall-sized pieces, each demonstrating her exceptional control over line weight, texture, and spatial relationships.
King-Ashley further enriches her visual vocabulary by incorporating found text and verbal narratives, re-contextualizing these elements within her compositions. This interdisciplinary approach, combining traditional draftsmanship with contemporary conceptual strategies, positions her work at the intersection of classical technique and modern innovation.