A self-taught artist, Ted Phillip Denton, produces an exciting collection of original, contemporary art ranging from large-scale, acrylic, and multi-media canvases to metal sculpture to unique pottery pieces.

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Inspired and motivated by the simplicity, harmony, light, form, raw power and beauty found in nature and a life-long love and study of architecture, Ted acknowledges the influence of contemporary giants such as Calder (for his use of bold primary colors and the creative blending of geometric shapes), Mondrian (for his clean, crisp geometric paintings), Miro and Picasso. Ted’s passion and gift are seeing and organizing space, both internal and external, and then envisioning art and sculpture to fill that space. His blending of architecture, a variety of materials, and minimalist design are singular, powerful, and dramatic.

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For Ted, who works in several media, painting has always expressed his love for the predictability of design, the organization of space and classic contemporary forms using primary colors and shapes in simple, yet riveting creations.

With his ceramic work, Ted freely allows the clay's inner voice to express itself through his hands. "It is not predictable or structured and is three dimensional." How it will come out of the kiln is not always knowable, so the element of surprise, of fantastic shapes and glazes, create one-of-a-kind, non-replicable pieces. These undulating ceramic pieces are mounted primarily on canvas and framed by acrylic painted borders and textured accent designs or occasionally mounted on porous surfaces such as metal or wood.

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Ted’s signature metal sculpture ranges from small pedestal pieces to massive steel designs that always express his passion for architecture. Using a water jet machine to cut his design, Ted then fabricates and finishes the pieces by either oxidizing them to create a rusty metal look or powder-coating them in bold primary colors. Ted’s repertoire includes unique decorative sculpture and unique functional pieces such as mailboxes, windmills, birdhouses, fire sculptures, and water features. 

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As Ted describes, “What I feel is important about my work is that it is simple. I don’t want it to be complicated; it’s clean, has few colors, is abstract and contemporary, and my signature reflects all of that.”

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After more than thirty years producing works out of his Palm Springs, California and Arizona studios primarily for architects, designers, corporations and collectors, both national and international, Ted now creates his signature metal sculpture in a self-designed, dramatic studio located on several acres in a remote, pristine area of the Upper Sonoran Desert.