Gregory Hennen
Region: South
I paint to express my love and respect for nature and to cultivate those feel-ings in others. As a landscape painter, I work to create visual imagery of the natural environment and, although using traditional techniques, aim to create works that are contemporary in their design and inspire the viewer to look closely at, and even venture into, the natural scene being depicted.
The organization of space, essentiality of color, and quality of light fascinate me. Depicting the natural world in its exactness is not what I do; rather, my work reflects what I see and how I feel over time. I generally develop a painting from several small drawings created on location.
By using a palette of close tonalities, the objects and surrounding space, and a carefully planned composition, my works result in an overall patterning of color and shape that at times verges on abstraction. Finished paintings evolve from realistic portrayals to those open for a more simplistic, personal interpretation.
