Artist's Statement

I love it here, in west central Minnesota: it is a landscape painter's paradise.

Like most Americans, this past year has been very challenging for me. Ever since last September 11th, I have struggled with a mild form of depression - manifested as a true "creative block." I have not been motivated to paint.

Until July. Happily, the beauty of summer at its most bountiful time shook me from the doldrums, and I rediscovered the things that drew me to this area of Minnesota in the first place. The blend of open fields, wooded hills, lakes, rivers and streams provides an endless supply of subjects. My favorite time to paint is early morning or late afternoon/evening, when shadows are most dramatic. My favorite season? Pick one! I find inspiration in the changing seasons, thus the works shown in this exhibit are all from that transition time between late summer and fall.

I work in acrylic paints on stretched canvas. As an artist, one of my goals is to emulate the appearance of traditional oil paints. I've borrowed from the layering techniques used in other artistic mediums, such as pastel or transparent watercolor - I avoid having large areas of one smoothly blended color, striving instead to make every square inch of canvas an interesting interplay of color layers when viewed closely.

I think of framing as an art form, too. So I am grateful for the collaborative efforts of Randy Fletcher (The Frame-Up, Evansville), who carefully framed my newest paintings of local scenes with boards scavenged from an old barn right here in Otter Tail County. Appropriate, nes pas?

I hope that you, too, can connect with these paintings, and have as much fun viewing them as I had painting them.

 

Stephen Henning

September 5, 2002
Written for a special exhibit of Minnesota landscape paintings