Artist Bio

Denis Orloff remembers drawing as early as kindergarten when his crayon drawing of the Mayflower garnered attention form his teachers. They asked him if he wanted to be an artist when he grew up. From that moment on Denis knew he wanted to be an artist. All through his childhood, he never questioned what he was and would always be.

Orloff always had a good visual memory and loved looking at all the details in his subjects and in the world around him. The name “Orloff” means “with eagle-like characteristics,” and he felt that was true in terms of his visual acuity. His vision allowed him to see minute details up close and from miles away. As one would expect, his favorite subject in school were his art classes and it was suggested by his teachers that he attend Parsons School of Design after graduating from high school.

Orloff moved to NYC at age 17. What a place to study art! It was the early ‘70s and it seemed like anything and everything was possible. At Parsons, Orloff learned illustration theory but his teachers did not emphasize or teach techniques. After seeing a watercolor work by a friend at school, Denis felt an instant connection to watercolor as a medium. He taught himself how to paint with it and has used it ever since.

After graduation in 1974, he began freelance illustrating. He was quite busy at it for a number of years but the constant need to go out and look for work, as well as actually doing each job, became less exciting. He began a slow transition to another career in real estate while still taking on the occasional Illustration job.

After working as a real estate developer for a number of years, his desire to paint again took hold and Orloff returned to painting in earnest in 2006. His grandfather was the Russian artist Gregory Orloff, but he had never met him. He felt he should be carrying on his grandfather’s legacy. He saw that his children did not really know him as an artist and since being one was a big part of his own identity, he was determined to make sure they did. He found inspiration at a farm his family owns in the Catskill Mountains where he visited regularly.

Orloff says: “I have always been drawn to the light. The light is everything. We cannot live without it. Golden Hour, sunrises and sunsets, early morning light and the fading light of twilight. I believe that the depiction of light is one of the hardest and most gratifying things I can do in a painting. Light brings with it the feeling of nostalgia and deep emotion. For me it can also bring feelings of unresolved longing.” For Orloff, it was hard to ignore the majesty of the light while in those mountains with only nature around him.

Orloff studied the works by artists of the Hudson River School, especially George Inness, Fredrick Church, and Albert Bierstadt. He began to paint in acrylics at this point even though he had been mainly a watercolor artist in years past. Orloff wanted to capture the light. After painting a series of landscapes, he had his first solo show at the Dan Epstein Gallery in Montclair. The response was terrific and he sold quite a number of paintings during the show.

At the same time, he began painting house portraits in watercolor and would get commissions from real estate agents for paintings to give to their clients as closing gifts. These became quite popular and kept him quite busy. Denis began to do pet portraits at the same time. Watching clients unwrap one of his pet portraits of their beloved pet has always been gratifying for him.

Orloff has reached a time where he wants to paint and sell his artwork as his full time pursuit. He decided to begin painting his landscapes in larger formats and most importantly in watercolor, his first passion. This change has allowed him to give his paintings the kind of lighting and depth he enjoys so much.

Orloff is currently working on an updated series of landscape paintings once again inspired by those beautiful mountains where he spends so much time.