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Dena McKee, Southern Artist
& Historic Preservationist
Dena McKee has carved
a niche for herself by painting to preserve
historic landmarks and capture memories.
Her watercolors and prints feature a drive-in,
schools, a theater, a carnival parade or a park
at the beach -- appealing subjects to those who
share fond memories and those with affinity for
life in a small town. Dena divides her time
between her home in Pascagoula, MS where her
showroom is located and her home on Dauphin
Island, Alabama where her studio is located.
Following high school
in Morgan City, Louisiana, Dena attended
University of Southern Mississippi where she
received her degree in education. While in
college, she studied art and continued after
college with private classes and workshops
throughout Mississippi.
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| Dena's
motivation for painting nostalgic icons of the
coast are the memories of her husband, Don who
grew up in Pascagoula. She enjoys evoking
memories in the viewer that go beyond the paint
and paper. Her subjects that capture the
heart and soul of the community for viewers make
her a popular artist in South Mississippi,
Louisiana and Alabama. Whether painting at home
or in Maine where Dena and her husband frequently
vacation, her basis is the same, "I want to
make people remember a time when there were no
worries or stresses, and just for that moment --
take them back to that
place."
Dena is a member of the Singing River, Ocean
Springs and Gulf Coast Art Associations, and the
Mississippi Chapter of the National Museum of
Women in the Arts as well as past board member of
the Jackson County Arts Council and the
Mississippi Coast Audubon Society. She has
exhibited work in the G. E. Ohr Arts &
Cultural Center in Biloxi and Jolly McCarty Art
Depot in Pascagoula as well as various shows
along the coast. Her prints are carried in
shops and galleries throughout the coast as well
as in Maine. Her originals are in private
collections throughout the United States and
Canada.
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