Within the walls of his fabulous studio in North Vancouver, Dene Croft immerses himself in his world of "film noir" inspired narratives, urban landscapes and his love of teaching.

"I've always believed that by the time you turn professional as an artist you are a thousand influences deep... my great influences are Tamara De Lempicka and Edward Hopper and with endless respect and admiration for the ground that they broke for future painters, I pay homage to them daily in my own work, while constantly pressing forward with my own sense of aesthetic and story telling.

My figurative paintings often reflect a bit of film noir "kitsch"- narrative paintings that leave the viewer writing the end of the story.

Painting has become both a great passion and a blessed curse for me; I love what I do and I love to infuse my passion for my art in others and with that, my studio has become a hive of creativity in the mentoring of other artists, and marries my passion for what I do as an artist and my love of people through my teaching.

As a full time painter and father of two, I live and work in Vancouver, Canada where I run a large studio. I paint in oil on canvas and enjoy painting a variety of subjects generally with a still life or figurative theme. Frequently my paintings reflect my love of all things Art Deco, particularly figurative sculpture from the '20's and '30's.

After a recent and much needed trip back to my native New Zealand it seems incredible that I have now been away almost eighteen years. My first 29 years were spent in New Zealand and much of what influences me today is obviously drawn from my early experiences.

My career as a painter really started with the birth of my first child, Joshua. The experience of having children was in many ways, my catharsis; providing that singular defining moment which allowed me the opportunity to re-evaluate and reflect on who I was and where I wanted to be.

It has now been fifteen years since I made that decision. My former career as a chef is well behind me, replaced by my children and my art - the two constants that I feel unwaveringly passionate about.

So, between the beautiful country that I left and the beautiful country that I live in; between the passion for my children and the passion for my art, I have found a real sense of balance and purpose in my life. I simply love what I do.
Here are some of Dene's portrait works:

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