Stephen Henning
was an award-winning graphic designer and
creative director for over 15 years before taking up the brush on a full-time basis.
Since the early 1990's he has developed a distinctive style of American
impressionism, and a loyal following of
collectors who share his love of nature and the outdoors; his original
paintings hang in private,
corporate and public collections across North America. Mentored since childhood by
Ernest Oberholtzer (co-founder of The Wilderness Society), Henning strives to paint the
landscape in its untamed state. "I am essentially an introvert. I enjoy
people, but part of me is always hungry for wide, open spaces and the beauty of nature;
painting is my means of escape."
Known for his big midwestern landscapes and
nature images - including native waterlilies - Henning also creates large
still life paintings in an impressionistic style. Often
beginning his landscapes outdoors, working "en plein aire" (in
open air) as the
impressionists were known to do, he will typically finish large
canvases in the studio.
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Above,
Stephen and Jacqueline
collaborate on a mural.
To see Jackie's
website, go to
www.paintersforhire.com.
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Henning
serves as artist-in-residence in rural schools several weeks each year, and has
taught outdoor painting workshops for many arts organizations throughout the
Midwest. A strong advocate for the arts, he is a director on the boards for the
Evansville Arts Coalition, Banfill-Locke Center for the Arts and COMPAS.
Henning's honors and recognitions include: Minnesota Journal Project 2000,
1999 Arts Leadership Award from the Minnesota State Arts
Board, Featured Artist - 1998 Minnesota Porcelain Artists Teacher's Guild
Expo, Featured Artist - 1998 Pioneer Public Television, 1997 Minnesota Percent for Art Purchase Award and 1996 People's
Choice Award at the New York Mills Regional Cultural Center Invitational Exhibit.
A grandson of South
Dakota "sodbusters," Henning was born in Minot, North Dakota, and raised in
Anoka, Minnesota. He resides near Inspiration Peak, Minnesota's second highest
promontory, and shares studio space with fellow artist and wife, Jacqueline. |