Denise Mortensen is a New Jersey abstract artist known for SHELFIES® — colorful, bright, and sentimental original abstract paintings inspired by collected objects, memory, nostalgia, and joyful modern interiors.

Finding Art Again after 40 Years

(Why I waited so long—and why I have no regrets.)

Denise Mortensen is a New Jersey abstract artist known for SHELFIES® — colorful, bright, and sentimental original abstract paintings inspired by collected objects, memory, nostalgia, and joyful modern interiors.

I’m Denise Mortensen, and I successfully returned to art after 40 years.

Growing up in a suburb of New York City, I was the third of seven children. Our house was a happy, boisterous place—where all manner of stray animals, people and children gravitated—and where I first found my love for drawing and painting.

Despite that early passion, I went off to study journalism and spent years working at CBS News, the Condé Nast Publications, and as a freelance editor and author of four children's picture books. Forty years later, with my own children grown and my house suddenly quiet, I returned to painting — picking up where I had left off decades earlier, moving from graphite portraits and watercolors into acrylics and mixed media.

As Seen In

Denise Mortensen is a New Jersey abstract artist known for SHELFIES® — colorful, bright, and sentimental original abstract paintings inspired by collected objects, memory, nostalgia, and joyful modern interiors.
Denise Mortensen is a New Jersey abstract artist known for SHELFIES® — colorful, bright, and sentimental original abstract paintings inspired by collected objects, memory, nostalgia, and joyful modern interiors.
Denise Mortensen is a New Jersey abstract artist known for SHELFIES® — colorful, bright, and sentimental original abstract paintings inspired by collected objects, memory, nostalgia, and joyful modern interiors.
Denise Mortensen is a New Jersey abstract artist known for SHELFIES® — colorful, bright, and sentimental original abstract paintings inspired by collected objects, memory, nostalgia, and joyful modern interiors.
Denise Mortensen is a New Jersey abstract artist known for SHELFIES® — colorful, bright, and sentimental original abstract paintings inspired by collected objects, memory, nostalgia, and joyful modern interiors.

I have since immersed myself in art theory and practice, completing the Art2Life program and studying with Jane Burton and Krista Harris, and am currently enrolled in the Certificate in Painting program at Rhode Island School of Design.

My influences include Helen Frankenthaler, Richard Diebenkorn, J.M.W. Turner, and Claude Monet. My work has been exhibited at Carter Burden Gallery and Drawing Rooms, New York and New Jersey; Descanso Garden’s Sturt Haaga Gallery, Los Angeles; The Gallery at Nicolet College, Wisconsin; the Cultural Center of Cape Cod; the Art League of Rhode Island; and the Woodstock Art Museum.

Denise Mortensen is a New Jersey abstract artist known for SHELFIES® — colorful, bright, and sentimental original abstract paintings inspired by collected objects, memory, nostalgia, and joyful modern interiors.
Denise Mortensen is a New Jersey abstract artist known for SHELFIES® — colorful, bright, and sentimental original abstract paintings inspired by collected objects, memory, nostalgia, and joyful modern interiors.
Denise Mortensen is a New Jersey abstract artist known for SHELFIES® — colorful, bright, and sentimental original abstract paintings inspired by collected objects, memory, nostalgia, and joyful modern interiors.
Denise Mortensen is a New Jersey abstract artist known for SHELFIES® — colorful, bright, and sentimental original abstract paintings inspired by collected objects, memory, nostalgia, and joyful modern interiors.
Denise Mortensen is a New Jersey abstract artist known for SHELFIES® — colorful, bright, and sentimental original abstract paintings inspired by collected objects, memory, nostalgia, and joyful modern interiors.

Artist Statement

My work explores the relationship between memory, nature, and the human impulse to create order within chaos. I am drawn both to the vastness and unpredictability of the natural world, and to the intimate, domestic spaces where we gather, arrange, and preserve what matters most to us.

In my nature-inspired abstract landscapes, I respond to the immensity, movement, and beauty of the natural world. Organic forms, layered marks, and shifting rhythms echo the tension between wildness and structure—places where calm and disruption coexist. These works reflect my fascination with how we experience scale, time, and beauty in environments far larger than ourselves.

In contrast, The Things We Keep series looks inward. These paintings are inspired by shelves, vessels, and everyday objects—quiet repositories of memory and meaning. Here, abstraction becomes a way to examine how we curate our lives: what we choose to hold onto, what we display, and what we set aside. The act of arranging objects mirrors a deeper human desire to impose order, to make sense of personal history, and to find grounding within the familiar.

Though distinct in subject and scale, both bodies of work are rooted in the same inquiry: how we seek balance, beauty, and meaning within a world shaped by both structure and uncertainty. Whether responding to nature’s vastness or the intimacy of home, my paintings invite viewers to slow down, look closely, and consider how spaces—both internal and external—shape who we are.

I create work meant to live with people: art that brings warmth, depth, and quiet presence to thoughtfully designed spaces, and that continues to reveal itself over time.

Denise Mortensen is a New Jersey abstract artist known for SHELFIES® — colorful, bright, and sentimental original abstract paintings inspired by collected objects, memory, nostalgia, and joyful modern interiors.
Denise Mortensen is a New Jersey abstract artist known for SHELFIES® — colorful, bright, and sentimental original abstract paintings inspired by collected objects, memory, nostalgia, and joyful modern interiors.

Shop Shelfies: The Things We Keep

Kitchen Cupboard
$1,600.00

Drawing inspiration from the everyday items tucked away in a kitchen cupboard, this vibrant piece celebrates the nostalgia and warmth of shared meals and family traditions. "The Kitchen Cupboard" weaves together bright colors and joyful details, transforming ordinary objects into a whimsical reflection of life’s simple pleasures.

  • Whimsical Charm: At 24x30” on gallery-wrapped canvas, this delightful artwork brings a playful yet sophisticated touch to your home, adding character to any room.

  • Bright and Joyful Palette: The artist's use of vivid colors evokes happiness and creates a lively focal point for your space.

  • Expertly Crafted: Renowned for her shelf studies, the artist captures the beauty and sentimentality of everyday objects.

  • Ready to Display: The gallery-wrapped canvas arrives with finished edges, allowing it to be displayed immediately without the need for framing.

Bring the joyful whimsy of "The Kitchen Cupboard" into your home and rediscover the beauty in life’s simple treasures.

  • A matte UV finish ensures the color stays vibrant for years to come.

  • Professional-grade, archival substrate and media.

The Pantry
$2,200.00

Drawing inspiration from the everyday items tucked away in a kitchen cupboard, this vibrant piece celebrates the nostalgia and warmth of shared meals and family traditions. "The Pantry" weaves together vibrant colors and joyful details, transforming ordinary objects into a whimsical reflection of life’s simple pleasures.

  • Whimsical Charm: At 30×40” on gallery-wrapped canvas, this delightful artwork brings a playful yet sophisticated touch to your home, adding character to any room.

  • Bright and Joyful Palette: The artist's use of vivid colors evokes happiness and creates a lively focal point for your space.

  • Expertly Crafted: Renowned for her shelf studies, the artist captures the beauty and sentimentality of everyday objects.

  • Ready to Display: The gallery-wrapped canvas arrives with finished edges, allowing it to be displayed immediately without the need for framing.

  • Professional-grade, archival substrate and media.

  • A matte UV finish ensures the color stays vibrant for years to come.

Unbound
$2,200.00

“Unbound” is a visual metaphor for stepping beyond limitations—the moment when hesitation fades, and dreams take center stage. This abstract composition transforms the concept of taking objects off a shelf into a dynamic expression of movement, change, and personal evolution.

• Intricate Composition: A network of bold lines and interwoven forms captures the layered complexity of breaking free and embracing new possibilities.

• Original Artwork: Every brushstroke carries the energy of transformation, making this a one-of-a-kind statement piece.

• Perfect Size: At 30x40” on canvas, it commands attention, serving as a powerful focal point in any contemporary space.

• Urban Edge & Sophistication: Inspired by life’s turning points, “Unbound” speaks to those who appreciate abstract art with depth and meaning.

• A Bold Reminder: More than just art, this piece is an invitation—to step forward, take risks, and redefine what’s possible.

Let “Unbound” serve as a striking testament to the beauty of taking charge—an abstract reflection of movement, courage, and the art of becoming.

  • The gallery-wrapped canvas arrives with finished edges, allowing it to be displayed immediately without the need for framing.

  • Professional-grade, archival substrate and media.

  • A matte UV finish ensures the color stays vibrant for years to come.

Swedish Garden
$2,200.00

Twelve flowers, twelve personalities. In this painting, each cell of a 4×3 grid holds a single botanical form — stylized, geometric, a little quirky — but no two are quite alike. Some spiral inward like a rose caught mid-thought. Others stand open-faced and bold. One looks like it's doing jazz hands.

The palette stays cool and cohesive throughout: dusty blue, soft lavender, sage green, and near-black outlines that give the whole thing the graphic confidence of a vintage print. The off-white ground keeps it from feeling heavy.

It's the kind of painting that rewards a second look — and a third. The grid holds everything together while the flowers do whatever they want inside it.

  • 40×30×1.5”” acrylic on gallery wrapped canvas.

  • A matte UV finish ensures the color stays vibrant for years to come.

  • Professional-grade, archival substrate and media.

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