PaintingOne of my hobbies is painting. I have always love to create artwork. This activity eventually led to a Bachelor of Arts degree from Avondale College in Australia. In this section I have included a few sample pictures of my work over the years. In the past I have mainly focused on oil paintings of landscape and still life themes. However, in recent years have dabbled with abstraction. I find this very difficult and challenging. I do not only have to take composition into account but color theory, design principles, and form.
As recent as this year, I have endeavored to improve my repertoire and watercolor skills. As a result I have been painting watercolor paintings of birds. |
MusicMaking music is a hobby of mine as well.
As a child my mother influenced me with her love of music and singing. As a result of this, I was enrolled in piano lessons as well as guitar lessons at an early age. I grew up listening to a vast variety of music and always found learning other artists songs quite easy. What I enjoyed more was the challenge of creating my own music. I love the process of songwriting. In 2004, this journey led me to produce two original musical albums in Australia while I finished my fine art degree. I wrote quite a few songs and with the help of some musician friends of mine and Dale Willis, and amazing guitar player and recording engineer, was able to record two full length studio albums - Found My Way (2004) and Days Gone By (2005). Here are links to my CDBABY.com webpage where you can listen to some sample tracks from the albums. www.cdbaby.com/dennybreese2 www.cdbaby.com/dennybreese WritingIt has been a goal of mine, once in my life, to write a book. This past year I have done just that. With time off from teaching, becoming a stay at home dad and going back to school to become a physical therapist I found time to write a christian surf adventure novel titled The Call to Bali. What brought me to Australia was the surf. While attending college in Australia my main past time was surfing at the many pristine beaches located only 20 minutes from the college. During my last year of college I went on a boys surf trip to Bali, Indonesia for three weeks. This trip left a deep impression on me and this book, although fictional, is influenced by this trip I took in 2004.
The books has been completed! Now I just need to find the money to hire a professional editor. Once that's done I can start looking at publishers. Here is a synopsis of the story behind the book. Zach and Charlie are two young best friends and have grown up together in a rural surfing town on the eastern coast of Australia. The adventurous lads both love to surf. Presently, Zach is in his twenties and is still trying to figure out the purpose for his life. He has many friends that have gone to college, received training, and he feels he is being left in the dust. One day while Zach was working in the local bakery, like he had done since he was a young teenager, Charlie propositioned Zach for a trip of a life time. Charlie had a plan to embark on an epic surf trip to Bali, Indonesia. Bali offered pristine waves, exotic culture, and an adventure of mammoth proportions. While in Bali, Zach’s philosophical view to life creates questions everywhere he turns. Additionally, he never imagined the events they would encounter. Zach and Charlie unknowingly come across pitfalls and close calls around every corner. In these circumstances Zach would rely on God like he never had before. Brittany, a pretty young woman, enters the scene and Zach starts to feel for her. As their journey continues, a disastrous accident happens to Charlie and Zach finds himself grief-stricken and petrified. He knows to pray hard. All events lead to one decision and this trip provides Zach with a direction and purpose in life. What will he choose? |
All images copyright Denny Breese 2012