May @ Universe City (Ogden)

Stephen Henry: Teaching by Examples

Who: Universe City, 2556 Washington Boulevard in Ogden
What: Stephen Henry: Monoprints and Paintings
When: May 6, 13, 20, 5:00-8:00 pm
May 7, 13, 21, 1:00-5:00 pm
Art Talk/Closing Night Reception: 6:00 pm
Where: 2556 Washington Boulevard, Ogden

Painter and printmaker Stephen Henry will be the featured artist during the month of May at Universe City, 2556 Washington Boulevard in Ogden. Opening night will be held in conjunction with Downtown Ogden’s First Friday Art Stroll, Friday, May 6. Gallery hours are Fridays, 5:00-8:00 and Saturdays, 1:00-5:00 pm. or by appointment (call Benjamin Jennings at 801-458-8959).
Henry’s exhibit will feature recent prints and several oversized paintings. A feature common to works in both media is his sense of color. Pure, saturated colors and subtle pastels are the tools Henry uses to recreate his architectural environment.
"My recent works are explorations of the images that have been so familiar to me. I am still fascinated with the 'visual vernacular' of our community. I feel comfortable enough with these images to loosen my approach and allow intuition to take charge of what happens to the substrate."
Stephen Henry is an art instructor at Two Rivers High school where he teaches by example, working with the students to talk about AND produce art.
Stephen Henry was born in Denton, Texas in November of 1967. The son of a sign painter and western artist, he grew up surrounded by art. Encouraged by his parents, he found that he had a great interest in drawing and painting. As a high school student, Stephen remained interested in art, in spite of the fact that the school he attended had no art program. Soon after he graduated, Stephen resolved to obtain a degree and teach art in a rural school setting similar to the one in which he grew up.
After a three-year commitment to the army to pay for his education, Stephen returned home and was soon seriously studying art. He began his college career at Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas, and in the mean time he was blessed with 2 beautiful children. All were present when Stephen received a B.F.A. degree in December of 2000.
He immediately began teaching the following January, and has been doing so ever since. “I love teaching as much as I love creating”, says Henry. “I often hear fellow artisans telling aspiring artists to ‘get a teaching certificate if you want to be an artist’; I feel that this is bad advice. If you do not want to teach, if you do not feel a calling to teach, then for the sake of the students and yourself, do not teach!”.
Stephen won several awards as an artist since his career began in earnest. These included merit awards at student shows in print making and sculpture, and a one-man show on Oak Lawn Avenue in Dallas. Since moving to Utah, he has been accepted into the Eccles community Art Center’s Statewide Competition and many others. His oil painting, “Maddy,” was selected as the winner of the Farmers and Art market 2005 commemorative poster.