FACES

Those who know and love the vivid depictive art of Patrick Henry had a surprise in store for them this past November 12th. That’s when the “born and raised” Eastern Shore artist 

unveiled his latest collection of themed work, called “Amusement.”

 

The 27-piece exhibit at the Globe Theatre in Berlin marked a profound departure in style and expression for the veteran oil painter.

 

“I really wanted to shake things up, and I think I achieved that,” said Henry, on hand to greet the roughly 200 visitors at the Globe’s second-floor gallery that night. “People have come to know my work so well that they often have expectations about what they’ll see in anything I do that’s new. I felt it was time to challenge those expectations by showing them there is more to me as an artist than just representational landscapes.”

 

The difference in style between “Amusement” and anything the longtime Berlin resident has done before is visually striking and sometimes disquieting.

 

Still present are the near-obsessive precision and mastery of medium that have established Henry as an iconic force on the local art scene. But with “Amusement,” he redirects his focus to objects and people rather than scenes, introducing a level of classic impressionism inside a very vibrant palette.

 

“While I was creating ‘Amusement,’ Henry shared, “I kept a book of Van Gogh’s work by my side at all times to remind me not to shy away from bold colors and hues.” This is especially evident in the paintings Cavalier and Saddled Cock, which sweep the viewer into a dreamlike surrealism. It’s a dramatic philosophical shift for the well-known painter. Henry says this marks a fresh period of work that the artist believes will endure for at least a couple of years. It’s an eerie, even haunting direction the artist confessed was intended to be unsettling.

 

Another parting for Henry is his choice of settings. Traditionally, his focus has been the “backyard” of the Eastern Shore. “Amusement” draws its inspiration from locations as far away as San Francisco, Kansas, Cleveland and Pennsylvania. Chicago, New York City and Washington, D.C. will offer future sites for the painter’s endeavors.

 

Recently, Henry’s painting Berlin Milling Company was purchased by and shown at the Reginald F. Lewis’ Museum of Maryland African-American History & Culture in Baltimore. 

For Henry, this was the fulfillment of a longstanding dream.

 

In the almost 40 years that span the artist’s passionate career, he has been motivated to paint what he sees and often the raw emotions he feels. His early works reflect pain and sorrow as well as the simple and profound peace he finds among nature on the Eastern Shore. 

 

There have been many periods. And each of this artist’s paintings allows us just a glimpse into the pure journey that Patrick Henry is taking.

 

 

 

Your Name:

Your Email:

Your Comment: