ARTIST: Dennis Hare (California, born 1946)
NAME: Backstage
YEAR: 2007
MEDIUM: oil and paper on board
CONDITION: Excellent. No visible inpaint under UV light.
SIGHT SIZE: 12 x 9 inches / 30 x 23 cm
FRAME SIZE: 18 x 14 inches / 45 x 36 cm
SIGNATURE: Upper left (twice) and on verso
CATEGORY: antique vintage painting
SKU#: 115061
US Shipping $49 + insurance.

AD: ART CONSIGNMENTS WANTED. CONTACT US
Dennis Hare (California, born 1946)
Hare was born in 1946 in Glendale California. Hare’s father, Frederick, was a photographer and a writer. His mother, Arline, was an interior designer. Hare’s only sibling, Kathy McPherson, was an accomplished Tole painter and wrote several books on the subject. Oliver Hare, paternal grandfather, was an artist, photographer and cellist; and maternal grandmother, Elizabeth Harlan, was an artist. Both parents traveled extensively through Central America and Mexico, producing short films documenting the culture. Arline worked for many years resurrecting the 1842 “Adobe House” in Yucaipa California, culminating in it’s designation as a Historic California Landmark. The “Adobe House” was in the neighborhood of the Hare’s residence in Yucaipa where Dennis was raised. The Hares kept, for over 20 years, a small winter beach residence in Ensenada, a small coastal town in Mexico. Hare spent intermittent months of seclusion painting there. He spent later years living in Mexico. Hare’s art reflects these strong early influences.
Hare exhibited early artistic promise but resisted parental encouragement. He had a passion for sports. Hare graduated San Diego State University where he was a member of the baseball and volleyball teams. His passion became concentrated in volleyball. In 1974 Hare won the World Beach Volleyball Championship. He was inducted into The Beach Volleyball Hall of Fame in 2010. He wrote the first book on the subject; “The Art of Beach Volleyball”. While illustrating the book he started sketching and painting in watercolors. At this time he went to the see Phillips Collection at the DeYoung Museum and was very taken with one work in particular, VanGough’s “Entrance to the Public Gardens at Arles”, he made a conscious decision to devote his life to art. Van Gogh’s work has inspired him throughout his career.
Working solely in watercolors in 1984, Hare moved to Mexico to immerse himself in art. He became a member of the National Watercolor Society in 1984. In 1987 he returned from Mexico. He was encouraged by Millard Sheets when he decided to paint in oils. He traveled to Europe, Amsterdam in particular, to study as many Van Goghs and masters as possible.
The early influences of his parent’s passion for Mexican culture as well as his own teenage and adult experiences living in the country became evident in his work. For a time, bright colors and cultural group scenes ran throughout his work. The beach also held a fascination for the artist; the coastal light and groups of people “in communion” became a favorite motif.