The Full Story

Tom Henrichsen is an award-winning artist from Woodstock, IL.  After completing his art education at the American Academy of Art, he worked as a caricature artist and cartoonist until starting to paint full time in 2003, winning numerous Best of Shows at art festivals around the Midwest.  His oil paintings can be viewed on Instagram (henrichsentom), Facebook and on his webpage, tomhenrichsen.com. Tom is represented by Eurekan Art, Eureka Springs, AK, Mainstreet Gallery, Lake Zurich, IL and The Red Dot Shop, South Bend, IN.

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Artist Statement:

Plein Air painting (French for "in open air") simply means painting outside direct from nature. When I began to paint outside, I had to learn to think differently than when I painted in the studio from photo reference - I had to begin to think abstractly. Instead of getting lost in the infinite array of detail that nature presents - and having limited time because of changing light -  I began to paint how I felt about a scene, rather than trying to copy what was in front of me. To paint en plein air is to enhance some elements and minimize others in order to make a successful painting. For me, that is to help the viewer see the beauty of nature through my interpretation - something they would not have recognized on their own. I think of myself as an action painter, capturing life and movement. Painting the weather! One of my favorite quotes about painting is by Edgar Degas: "A painting requires a little mystery, some vagueness and some fantasy. When you always make your meaning perfectly plain, you end up boring people."