Dennis Sheehan

“I believe the purpose of art is to enhance and enrich one's life and the lives of others.”

*Dennis in action in one of his wonderful Tonalism tutorial videos.*

Born in 1950 in Boston, MA, Dennis Sheehan currently lives and works in Manchester, NH, and is known for his contemporary Tonalism landscapes and teaching. Working in the traditional French Barbizon style, Sheehan captures pastoral scenes with close attention paid to mood and atmosphere. Richly applied pigments and a muted palette demonstrate the lasting influence of American Tonalist George Inness within Sheehan’s oeuvre. “My goal is to have the painting emanate light,” the artist has said. “This is why the areas of shadow are so important, for it is from them that this emanation proceeds.”

Tonalism.com: Do you call or think of yourself as a tonalist? How or why / why not?

Dennis Sheehan: After 30 years of painting I slowly but surely became more and more drawn to Tonalism painting. My early formative years I did very low key monochrome paintings, not because of Tonalism, it was because I didn’t like or even know how to best use colour in a painting. I was forced to paint in full color due to market demands, at the time no-one was buying moody, poetic tonal paintings.

Tonalism.com: What is your definition of Tonalism?

Dennis Sheehan: Tonalism, it's like trying to define Impressionism. Personally I don’t like ism’s in painting. They are restrictive and can be exclusive to other explorations, especially when developing a personal style.

Tonalism.com: What’s been the story of your journey as an artist?

Dennis Sheehan: My desire to become a painter started in grammar school and became much stronger through high school, then Art School. My high school art instructor was a very big part of my journey, as he removed all doubt and fear that I might fail or disappoint my parents who wanted me to go to a ‘normal’ program and then get a ‘real’ job with a steady income. Thankfully I persuaded them to see my unwavering desire to be a painter at any cost.

I went to Vesper George art school in Boston, then Montserrat school of visual Art in Beverly, Massachusetts. Further study with Richard Whitney, Robert Cormier and Robert Douglas Hunter. I also painted with the Putney Painters under Richard Schmid for 14 years.

*Path through the Pines - Dennis Sheehan*

Tonalism.com: What are the main objectives of your current approach?

Dennis Sheehan: The main objective of my current approach is, through Landscape, express feelings and sentiments that reach deep with the heart and soul of the human experience.

Tonalism.com: What was the actual process or series of events that led you to paint as you do now?

Dennis Sheehan: Many years ago I went to a Bruce Crane exhibit in Boston, a tonalist Artist I never heard of. I stood before his painting of a snow scene with awe and deep reverence for his depiction of nature, conveying a deeply moving, poetic statement. This was the moment I made a vow to myself to follow this course of landscape painting referred to as Tonalism.

Tonalism.com: Please describe a little bit of your painting process

Dennis Sheehan: My current painting method is quite simple. First I begin by completely emptying my mind of any external influences. No images, no studies, or references of any kind. Then, with a large brush (even on small canvases) I use my mixture of Phthalo Green and Transparent Red Oxide, I make totally random strokes, varying between thin washes and thick block strokes, also using the Bounty paper towels to wipe off and develop varying values to build an underlying Tonal foundation. Once the foundation is complete, I just keep on working and re-working using the same paint or Bounty to further develop the intricacies of the now appearing landscape until completion.

Tools of the trade:

Brushes - ¼, ½, ¾ - 1” China bristle from Arts Supply Wholesale - I use Benjamin Moore 1 ½’ sash also.
Palette from Left to Right - Titanium White, Cad Yellow Hue, Hansa Yellow Deep, Cad Orange Hue, Cad Red Hue, Alizarin Crimson, Permanent Green Light, Phthalo Green, Transparent Oxide Red, Raw Sienna, Sevres Blue, Ultramarine Blue, Burnt Sienna, Ivory Black.
Medium - Pale Drying Oil.
Bounty paper towels.

Tonalism.com: Could you name any specific influences on your work?

Dennis Sheehan: There are two paintings that made a deep impression in my formative years of painting. First, a George Innes painting titled “June”, painted in 1880, and secondly a painting by Bruce Crane titled “Winter Sundown” painted in 1920. These two paintings motivated me to work and study tirelessly, to raise the level of my work and never give up or lose my focus on the goal of achieving an equally high level of painting Tonalist Landscapes.

Tonalism.com: Any advice for the aspiring painters / tonalists?

Dennis Sheehan: My advice to aspiring Tonalist painters would be to work hard, paint as much as you can, study, study, study, especially study the master paintings that move you the most and copy those works if at all possible.

Look constantly at the masters, they hold the key to what's needed to achieve great Tonalist works, I would also advise, share your knowledge generously, without fear others will steal what you have discovered or achieved.

Books I would recommend:
1. Life, Art and Letters of George Inness - George Inness Jr.
2. Painting Techniques of the Masters: Painting Lessons from the Great Masters - by Hereward Lester Cooke
3. Landscape and Figure Composition - Sadakichi Hartmann
4. The Color of Mood: American Tonalism 1880-1910 - Wanda M. Corn
5. Tonalism an American Experience - William H. Gerdts
6. American Art in the Barbizon Mood - Smithsonian

Tonalism.com: Saving the big question for last: What is art’s purpose in the world?

Dennis Sheehan: I believe the purpose of art is to enhance and enrich one's life and the lives of others.

“I believe the purpose of art is to enhance and enrich one's life and the lives of others.”

Brian Sindler

Charlie Hunter