Latest Work
Winter Wrens
Winter Wrens – for Linda ©2010 Patrise Henkel oil on canvas 14 x 11″ Private collection
Barred Owl
Barred Owl – for Carol The Barred is our local owl here in the Moyaone woods. They have facial markings like a tabby cat, giving each individual unique expressions, some sweet, some fierce. They have unusually dark eyes for an owl, which can make them look even more haunting than an owl already does. Locals believe these night hunters carry off adult cats, which I’m not sure I believe, since they are smaller than a Great Horned. Now the Bald Eagle, THAT is one huge bird. ©2010 Patrise Henkel oil on canvas 14 x 11″ Private collection
TransformDance
pastel on paper 24 x 24″ I took part in a a great workshop called “30 in 30″ led by Lisa Semarid at the Art League in Alexandria VA. This is a 25 minute left-handed drawing with hard pastels. I amazed myself with what I could do with my non-dominant hand! The whole day was all about getting out of your own way. “30 in 30″ refers to the 30 drawings we made in the first 30 minutes. We then spent several hours reviewing each persons’ evolution. Fascinating!! When you work too fast to think with your left brain, another kind of intelligence shows up and leads you.
It Ends Up in MY River
oil on canvas 32 x 24″ SOLD: private collector This studio painting is a view to the west from Piscataway Bay, looking out into the wider Potomac. It’s the first painting that I included litter and trash in – even though there is tons of it that I see every day. When you throw your litter out on the ground, there’s a good chance it will end up in my river. The Alice Fegusen Foundation runs the Trash Free 2013 program and collects tons of trash every spring from Potomac shorelines. Most of it is plastic bottles and cans. But there are a lot of tires, too, and the occasional refrigerator. Take a look at their video here: Stormwater Sam
Potomac Aurora 2003
Aurora over Potomac in 2003 there was a rare siting of aurora borealis over Washington. By a stroke of fate I was out on the river that night, or I would never have seen the glorious display. Oil on canvas 9 x 12″ $250
Maiden, Mother & Crone
Maiden, Mother & Crone (the three ages of woman) Created in 2009 for a challenge: use Harry Potter characters to portray Macbeth’s Three Witches. A quick survey of art made of these witches portray them all as ugly and frightening. Using Luna Lovegood, Nymphadora Tonks (with baby Teddy Lupin), and Minerva McGonagal I rendered three witches who were beautiful, powerful and working for the forces of good. Themes of Air, Fire, Water and Earth, the balance of Night and Day, Youth and Age are woven into this picture as well. oil on linen canvas 20 x 16″ unframed
White Breasted Nuthatch
Here’s a familiar visitor in my mid-Atlantic yard, the perky nuthatcher, who is actually a big bug-eater, more like a woodpecker in habit. This bird loves the suet in the winter. They walk up and down the bark of the white oaks, quite agile with their clawed feet. This painting is 6″ x 6″ on a ‘gallery-wrap’ canvas, 1.5″ deep and painted with a continuation of the background, and so needs no frame. Here’s a close-up showing details, paint texture and brushwork:
Fallen Blossoms
Fallen Blossoms: Tulip Poplar oil on canvas 32 x 24″ private collection Painted 2011 for a fundraiser to help former neighbors John and Claire Lamiman. John was suddenly paralyzed in a freak accident in 2010, and is now confined to a wheelchair unable to use his arms or legs. His Maryland neighbors held a fundraising concert and silent auction and raised thousands of dollars to help pay for his care. The winning bidder on this popular item is a neighbor of mine, so I have ‘visitation rights’ on this picture.
Community Bluebird
Garden Life 1 was painted at my Community Garden in late March, when the bluebirds were first setting up their households for the season. Eastern Bluebirds are highly encouraged to settle in the garden, particularly because of their prodigious bug eating capacity. They especially like young caterpillars, which is most helpful to us. Bluebirds are selective and easily crowded out by other species. They need edge forest and open field areas to thrive. The nesting box you see is built and hung to their exacting specifications. They are the state bird of Maryland. But most of all, they are lovely. There is a fugitive quality to the blue in uncertain light. You detect a flash of some unlikely colour, and then the bird pauses in good light and you may catch your breath, because they are really, really blue. For a moment. Until they are gone. And, of course, they are somewhat mythical. It is my belief that no one can be truly unhappy if the bluebird lands on their garden gate. I am especially pleased how the under-painting shows the grainy character of the black locust fence posts, the wire fence and the bare soil of the early spring garden.