In the crisp, glowing vision of Heléne Henare’s detail driven paintings one finds a communion with the spirit that inhabits a location. Inspired by New Zealand’s lush, wild native bush and seasides, Henare paints in the style of distorted realism. She invokes a sense of familiarity while shattering perspectives and perceptions as she plays freely with reflection, shadow, and horizon, capturing recognizable yet wondrous worlds of mood and light. Henare works in acrylic paint on canvas, relishing the versatility and rich palette of colors which the medium offers her. Drawing occasionally from hundreds of photographs, she looks for the essence of her scenes, creating images rooted more within the feeling of a landscape than in its physical forms.
Raised in Auckland, New Zealand, Heléne Henare now lives and works in a converted barn on the scenic, rural outskirts of the city. A recent addition to the art world, she has received much attention as an emerging artist in recent years, drawing attention from publishers, authors and collectors both in her native New Zealand and worldwide.