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Several terms
at the University of Hanover in North Germany
studying English and German literature and
language in an attempt to become "something
sensible" taught me how pointless it was to
try and ignore what I had always known was
the real core of my being. I changed to art
college, did a few terms at art university
and, basically, have been happy ever since.
As far as possible, I paint
every day and so my pictures have become a
record of my life.
The eight years I spent in Japan have had
a lasting influence on my work. All areas
of traditional Japanese culture have elements
of aesthetics, harmony, balance and space.
My fascination with these, my love of everyday
objects, Japanese and otherwise, and a parallel
interest in abstract art developed into a
style of painting which combined naturalistic
and abstract elements. Objects became symbols.
Symbols, colour and brushstrokes developed
into my own, personal language.
Since living in the USA, I have travelled
quite extensively and have explored, photographed
and been awed by the beauty and grandeur of
the landscapes of the west. Heaven and earth
in those regions are beyond words but, hopefully,
not beyond pictures. Driving through New Mexico,
exploring Indian cliff dwellings and encountering
adobe architecture "in the flesh" have also
left me wondering and nagging myself about
just how I can show others my feelings about
all those magnificent landscapes and the tiny
marks that humankind have made upon them.
Recently, I have also returned to one of my
earlier great interests: namely, the human
figure.
Angela Hennessy
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