Michael Hensley

Michael W Hensley

For forty years, Michael put his artistic passion on hold as he worked his way through a career in advertising. As a founding partner in an agency called HSR, he was given the opportunity to collaborate with some amazingly creative people globally, working in Europe and Asia and supporting some of the largest and most beloved brands in the world. Taking that world of experience. Michael picked up the paint brush again in 2018 and started painting with the energy and passion of an emerging artist. Michael has become a very active member of the Cincinnati art community participating in many local artist groups and art shows.

ARTIST STATEMENT

THE CONCEPT
I have become increasingly appreciative of the pattern and movement found in the natural world. If you take the time to stop and observe, what at first seems random and chaotic can become rhythmic and balanced. I think of these comforting rhythmic patterns as FLOW. In this collection I am attempting to share the beauty and calming effects of FLOW in everyday natural events.

THE STYLE
Even as a child I was fascinated by stained glass windows, the way the light illuminated the colors and the special presence it created in the churches and buildings I saw back them in. Later in life I was able to tour churches across Europe and it dawned on me that these windows and the biblical stories they told were an early form of graphic art. On retiring from my career in advertising I picked up the paint brush and started my new career as an artist. It felt only natural to me to adopt a style of painting that reflects my career in graphic arts and my fascination in stained glass.
This collection makes use of palette paper leftover from my regular painting process. I often felt that the byproduct of mixing paint colors together on the palette was interesting and even beautiful. So I started saving my leftover palette paper, thinking someday I could reuse them. The result is this recycled/upcycled collection. I recycle the paper by cutting the swirls of paint into individual faceted shapes and mounting them on canvas covered in metallic acrylic paint. The paper facets are then coated in layers of clear acrylic gel giving them a very glass-like appearance. In addition to putting the paper and unused paint to good use it is also capturing the energy I spent in mixing those colors. I think the recaptured energy from the mixing process can be felt in the final piece of art.