About the artist

All my pieces start out as small sketches and drawings in the sketchbook. Sometimes they develop into more in-depth concepts which I then render out with pastels at a larger scale. Some of the concepts don’t make it to final art.

The Cypress Series continues to evolve. I’m now painting more fruit and experimenting with new concepts including the use of a watercolor wash underpainting. This changes the mood of the painting depending upon the colors I use. My most recent painting “Waiting for Fall” uses this technique.

My work tends to focus on a serene outdoor environment, a calm place to lose yourself in your thoughts without all the distractions of today’s multitasking culture. We all need a mental timeout to yoga, meditate, workout or have a drink with a friend. I try to convey those feelings in my art.

My influences are obviously everything I experience. But mostly I enjoy visits to museums across the nation. I also take pleasure in beach vacations and drives across the midwest to Tulsa, Oklahoma City and Minneapolis to name a few. Contemporary art inspires me to paint and explore new techniques. When I was a kid my favorite artists were Van Gough and Salvador Dali. Later in life Richard Diebenkorn caught my eye as well as Wayne Thiebaud, River Hennick (my daughter) and many others.

Mark Hennick