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Gualala Arts
Promoting public interest and participation in the arts since 1961.
Archive of past events: 2004 through 2014
Jennie and Mike HendersonWorks by long-time area residents, Mike and Jennie Henderson, feature weavings, drawings and pit-fired ceramic pottery produced in their three-studio home near Point Arena. This will be their first combined show in their 43 years together. The Hendersons will have a representative mix of the art they produce. While some who come to the show may not see beyond the art of two separate individuals, Mike and Jennie hope that what they, themselves, sense as a difference in their work owing to their supportive approach to each other will shine through as that qualitative "something" we all love to see, but find hard to define.
The Henderson's currently have three active art studios in their home. In what would be considered the living room Jennie creates hand spun wool rugs, award winning tapestries, and elegant but utilitarian scarves and throws. A tireless producer, she typically has several looms and work stations with weavings in various stages of completion, year round. She uses natural fibers and natural dyes in most of her weavings and tapestries, and is currently exploring the use of local plants as chemical-free dye sources.
Mike's drawing studio has two large door-sized easels and one small one set up with works in progress, along with pre-sketches, notes, and photos posted around their outer edges. Shelves and drawers are stuffed with the tools of the trade. Tucked in between is an eclectic mix of sculptures, colorful pit-fired pots, photography, and assemblages. Framed works cover the walls.
The two artists met during college in 1971 and discovered they had much more in common than the art experiences of their younger days. Common to their upbringing were their stable families that encouraged their artistic explorations. Their parents denied no expenses in pursuit of any outlet, be it materials, books or lessons. This set in each of them the expectation for full immersion into any endeavor, which they carried into their adult lives. Both are committed enablers and their mutual support for each other's artistic pursuits has been the theme of their lives to the present day and is apparent in the current show. On the weekend of June 14-15 Mike will be conducting a workshop at Gualala Arts titled Back to Basics: A Drawing Workshop.
Jennie has a
Facebook page
that provides further examples of her work.
Dolphin Gallery is located at
39225 Highway 1 in downtown Gualala, CA, |
The June 2014 exhibit at the Dolphin Gallery features Jennie and Mike Henderson. The opening night reception is on Saturday, June 7, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. and the show runs through Wednesday, July 2, 2014.
Their two-car garage serves as the third studio. The Henderson's ceramic workshop takes up half the space while the rest is packed with the usual excesses of living, a laundry, and a workbench. The studio consists of an electric pottery wheel, a medium sized electric kiln, as well as the other essentials for production. Outside is a brick-lined pit for pit firing, a 55-gallon drum fashioned for downdraft barrel firing, and several steel cylinders fashioned for black firing.