In earnest observation and study of nature’s nuances, Denise finds an emotional and spiritual connection that is ultimately revealed in her sensitive portrayals of the American landscape. For many, her paintings evoke a sense of peace and draw the viewer into an intimate encounter with place.

A professional artist since 1998, Denise has gained national recognition for her landscape paintings, She has been honored twice as winner of the First-Place awarded in Landscape with the Art Renewal Center’s International Salon. In 2013, she was awarded the Gold Medal for works on paper and the Kieckhefer Best of Show awarded at the Phoenix Art Museum’s West Select show. In 2017, her work was featured in “Painting Red Rocks Country, Past and Present” a four person exhibit at the Booth Western Art Museum in Cartersville, Georgia.

More recently, in collaboration with the Executive Director of the Museum of Western Art in Kerrville, Texas, the proposed and curated “The Heavens Declare” Celebrating the Glory of the Skies.” Also in 2022, Mahlke was invited as a guest artist to the 50th Anniversary Prix de West exhibit at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City. She was invited to return in 2023 and again in 2024 as a guest artist.

Denise’s artwork has been featured in numerous publications, including Art of the West, Western Art & Architecture, and Southwest Art as well as two North Light books on pastel. Her paintings are in private and public collections throughout the U.S. and abroad.