Upbringing.
Henry was born in a small town in eastern Nebraska in 1961. Growing up, he always knew he wanted to be an artist. He would draw things that interested him, whether it was another artists work or something he dreamt up. His parents would find him books about artists and encouraged him to pursue his passion. His art teacher in high school really opened his eyes to all facets of art and the one thing she told him was to paint or draw "what you know", something he never forgot. Henry went on to get a degree in commercial art at a community college after high school. It wasn't exactly a career as a fine artist but he rationalized his decision, that it was still a creative outlet and it would pay the bills. For Henry, this wasn't a “Plan B” but it was a way to be working in a field where he could put his drawing, painting and creative talents to work. So for the past thirty some years he has been working as a graphic designer/illustrator and making a living. In all of that time he would still paint and draw but mostly for his enjoyment. |
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Recognition.
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Then something happened in 2014. He answered a call for artist he saw in the local paper. It was a small, local gallery looking for artists to show their work. Having never shown anywhere, he was a bit uncertain, but applied anyway. The director (Bonnie Lewis) responded, "Your work needs to be shared with the world"! Henry was given a place at the gallery to show and sell his work. He did well enough that a few years later, Bonnie was able to get him into a gallery in Scottsdale, Arizona, where he did well and was able to paint a lot more and improve on his skills. Since that time, Henry has shown work in multipule shows around the country and recently has shown work at {9} The Gallery in Phoenix. |
Method.
Henry's work is simple, what you see is what you get. As a self-taught artist, Henry paints to capture a moment or a feeling. He concentrates his focus on an interesting area of the subject he paints. It might be the highly polished metal of a hydraulic shaft or the flaking paint and rust of an old forgotten tractor. He wants you to look closely at the subject and see it from a different perspective. If his work happens to inspire or bring joy to you, then he has accomplished one of the goals of his life…being an artist and sharing his work with the world". |
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