Dennis was born and bred in Gloucester, MA where he observed the colors, sights and sounds of this well known artists stomping ground/ After high school , he went to Butera School of Art in Boston, MA. Later, he returned to Cape Ann where he studied with John Terelak, a well know painter and at the Gloucester Academy of Arts. After several years, he moved to New York City and studied at the famed Arts Student League where he won the Charles J. Romans Memorial Award at the Allied Artists of America Show, his first National Exhibit.
Dennis has painted with many of the storied Cape Ann artists of the last fifty years including. Paul Strikik., Don and Caleb Stone , Tom Nicholas and many others. .
Dennis continues to paint on Cape Ann and in Maine. He is an active member of the Rockport Art Association as well as the North Shore Art Association.