Born in Zé Doca in the state of Maranhão, and raised in Pará, Denis spent his childhood and adolescence in Tucuruí (PA). He later settled in Canaã dos Carajás (PA), where he works as a barber and musician. Painting was only a background activity for him, but when he heard about the Art-in-Colors Project, he decided to join it.

He was a painting teacher for years, dedicated mainly to painting canvases and to teaching techniques with impressionistic and realistic motifs inspired mainly by the fauna and flora of the Amazon region. His panel Desigualdade (Inequality) shown here reflects a movement out of the comfort zone, a plunge into movements of urban art and social criticism.