Artist's
Statement
I pursued two directions as I taught myself to be
an artist. The first was a study of art history and
to do studies after the masters. My particular
heroes were Albrecht Dürer, Van Gogh, Degas, Otto
Dix and Toulouse-Lautrec.
The second means was drawing single frame pen and
ink cartoons. Wanting to make hard-hitting visual
statements clothed in humor, I worked to combine
the style of Max Fleisher, the refreshingly dark
humor of Gahan Wilson and the pertinent bite of
David Horsey.
I have recently started painting plein air
in oils. Ron and I enjoy camping in our
motor home where I have made my first paintings of
the Olympic Rainforest. The complexity of the
subject insists that rather than copying nature, I
must first distill it through my imagination and
express the result. I hope to convey to others the
beauty that I feel alone in the woods. I take my
role as an artist seriously and am in a lifelong
pursuit of further skills.
~Kristine Henshaw
~Kristine Henshaw
I grew up in awe of my oldest sister. She possessed
a seemingly magical ability to recreate the world
around her. Fascinated by her skill, art became the
focus of my life.
Having gone as far as I could in developing my art
skills, I enrolled at the Academy of Fine Art
in Seattle, (now Gage Academy). I
attended full-time from 1997 to 1999. After the
years of self-study I felt like a sponge, soaking
up knowledge from a variety of instructors
proficient in the means of producing classical art.
While developing my fine art goals, I longed to pursue a career in an art related profession. After taking extensive workshops at the Seattle Architectural Finishing Studio, in the year 2000, I started Henshaw Murals & Finishes with my husband Ron. We are very proud of our work, which embellishes the walls of many private residences, public businesses and healthcare facilities.
Working on large-scale projects, often with time restraints, has influenced my easel art. It has become more spontaneous and self-assured. I have learned to love nature as a subject matter both for my murals and for my paintings on canvas. I find that the two are evolving hand in hand and that lessons learned in one are immediately applied to the other. As the line between the two blurs, I am developing a unique handwriting and style of my own.
While developing my fine art goals, I longed to pursue a career in an art related profession. After taking extensive workshops at the Seattle Architectural Finishing Studio, in the year 2000, I started Henshaw Murals & Finishes with my husband Ron. We are very proud of our work, which embellishes the walls of many private residences, public businesses and healthcare facilities.
Working on large-scale projects, often with time restraints, has influenced my easel art. It has become more spontaneous and self-assured. I have learned to love nature as a subject matter both for my murals and for my paintings on canvas. I find that the two are evolving hand in hand and that lessons learned in one are immediately applied to the other. As the line between the two blurs, I am developing a unique handwriting and style of my own.
After Francois
Boucher
96" X 32"
96" X 32"
© Henshaw
My great grandfather was lighthouse keeper at
Mulkilteo and Lime Kiln lighthouses. My husband's
grandfather was captain on the S.S. Winslow, a
Sound Steamer which ran between Seattle and
Bainbridge Island. Prior to the Washington
Centennial in 1989, as a means of exploring and
explaining our heritage to others, we started a
business, Washington Through a Porthole.
Ron wrote, and I illustrated, a small book which we
self-published along with other Centennial
souvenirs. The project was rewarding in many ways.
© Henshaw
