Alumni Gazzette
Art in the Blood:
Portrait of an Emerging Artist
by Tara Jeske
If you are an art lover living in Portland, Ore., you may have been taking in the First Thursday art walk on a balmy evening last summer and come across a show at the Modern Media Gallery by Joel Henriques, a 1997 fine art graduate. Joel is a painter whose artistic talents grew with the encouragement of his family and the influence of his grandmother, an artist herself. Joel talks about his artistic path and what inspires him.
Your parents didn’t allow you to
have coloring books as a child. What were some of your earliest drawings?
When we were young, they gave us step-by-step drawing books. They were a blast.
Way more fun than coloring books. It’s very rewarding drawing a circle,
then another smaller circle, and a few more straight lines and having it turn
into a pig. My dad always gave us great drawing paper and sketch tablets,
and that made it more fun—like you were really an artist.
Your grandmother, Dorothy Henriques, introduced
you to the art of Matisse and Picasso. How have these artists influenced you?
My Grandma had shelves and shelves full of art books. I still borrow them
when I visit my Grandpa. While we were painting, she would say, “Let’s
take a break and go look at some of the masters.” Then we’d go inside
the house and she would show me images from the books that related to what
I was working on. We would look at Picasso and Matisse, but mostly Monet and
Van Gogh back then, because I was doing landscapes. It was always an eye-opener.
She would show me different ways artists paint trees, for example, and show
me that basically, there are no rules. I would go back to the painting I was
working on with new ideas. It gave me confidence too, to do whatever I wanted
with the painting. I was about 13 years old and had never painted before,
so confidence-builders were good.
What/who are some artists, people, experiences
you draw inspiration from?
Mostly Picasso, these days. I like simple design solutions, and he has such
great compositions and shapes. For subject material I look at everything that
I think has great shape. Sometimes I catch myself staring at a pair of scissors,
thinking, “That handle sure has a cool curve to it.”
What were your favorite artistic lessons
learned from your grandmother?
While I was working on my first oil painting, she told me to “put a hundred
dollars worth of paint on that canvas.” I don’t think my grandpa
ever knew about that particular philosophy of hers. It is hard to break through
that intimidation at first. You just have to go for it and lay it on.
She did a lot of flower designs and stilllife interpretations that I still look at all of the time. I refer to her work about as much as I refer to Picasso and Matisse.
What themes are favorites?
Lately, I’ve been doing flower designs. There are so many great shapes
in flowers. I also like the curves in modern furniture.
What do you find yourself trying to express or convey most often?
Mostly, my goal is to end up with something that is just fun to look at, visually
and psychologically. I like paintings that leave something up to the imagination
but are easy to relate to.
What do you feel most passionate about
in your work?
A lot of it is just making things for people to enjoy. I suppose the most
passion comes from the desire I have to get my ideas out and keep creating
new things.
What are two of your favorite memories
of Walla Walla College?
Playing in the Spring Jam, my senior year. That show was a blast.
Then there was a time I stayed up all night in one of the art classrooms working
on a huge, crazy collage of a stuffed bird. That was kind of a breakthrough
for me, for some reason. It was kind of therapeutic, because over the years
at WWC I had to draw that bird so many times, with meticulous detail, in drawing
class with Ken Mackintosh. For one two-week assignment, we had to do five
different studies focusing on different parts of the bird, and then draw the
whole thing after that. It just felt like that bird owed me something. I still
have the collage in my basement.
When did you begin displaying your work
professionally, and how many shows have you had?
I’ve been pretty busy the last five years, selling paintings off my Web
site and to people I know, or friends of friends. I didn’t really start
showing to the public until about two years ago. I’ve had about a dozen
shows since then.
Do you have any advice for other young
artists who are looking to get their names out?
One thing that really helped me was getting an art manager. Most artists I
know aren’t very motivated in sales. It can be very helpful to have someone
out there promoting your work.
What are you working on right now?
I have a group showing, with about 12 artists, at the Modern Media Gallery
in December. We are all doing small paintings, so people can do Christmas
shopping at the show.
What do you have planned for the near
future?
After the December show I’m doing a painting that will be donated for
the Cascade aids Project Art Auction. It’s a great charity, and a fun
art event.
Describe yourself in three words:
Relaxed. Happy. Interested.
See more about Joel Henriques