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Pat Henley Abstract Artist

​WELCOME, my name is Pat Henley and I live in coastal Muriwai on the rugged West Coast of Auckland, NZ., with my husband. We have been here since July, 2004.

 

Muriwai’s wild, restless, variable environment provides inspiration for my painting. I experience the world as one of vibrant colour, movement, connections and reactions. I so enjoy hearing what they bring up for people.

 

I get to explore myself by seeing what presents itself in my works. Deep parts of me that I don't actually know that well until the looseness, free flowing, unpredictable nature of my art practice allows the instinctive to make itself seen. My response and method is fluid.

 

How to express this energy intrigues me. I started out realistically - painting what I saw, building up an internal library of images, and now I am attempting to ‘shorthand’ the process. What can I leave out? What are the essential elements? How brief can a painted gesture be and still express meaning?

My painting is about capturing moods, movement, emotion, the seen and the unseen through the immensity of colour.

My discovery of applying liquid acrylic on a dampened surface gives me more freedom and abstraction.  It's a path towards changing the way I express the world around me where different interpretations are possible.

 

After teaching at Primary School for 10 years my artistic experience began with painting dyes on silk, which occupied me professionally for 25 years. This led to a love for and confidence with colour. After retiring from painting silk, I returned to fine art, which I had dabbled with earlier. I gave it full attention with help from my tutor, Matthew Browne at Browne School of Art, Grey Lynn (www.browne.school.nz) and past mentor Krystie Wade.

 

These days I enjoy experimenting with acrylics, both tube paint and liquid ink, using brushes, pallet knives, rubber scrapers and other mark makers. The inspiration remains the same, the expression is ever-changing.

 

I hope you enjoy browsing my gallery and please email any questions or enquiries.

PAT HENLEY

Ocean inspired abstract painting
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