Limitless Project: Brian Henderson

Unlike the other artists in this series I have an inside view of Brian and his creative process.  To me he really is the embodiment of limitless creativity because, as he describes below, there is much about inspiration and very little about intention in his creative process.  

The biggest limit Brian faces when it comes to creativity is one that is common to most of us, he owns a home and a business which leaves him with little time to create.  Finding ways to express the limitlessness of creativity within a life or time structure that feels limited can be a huge challenge.  

With constraints on it, sometimes creativity doesn't come out the front door, but it can come out in other ways.  In Brian's case, he finds ways to express his creativity through his work.  Screen printing and painting the studios are his main methods of creative expression these days.  He does all of the OWY screen prints, and much of the installation art you see in the studios was either painted by Brian or inspired by his vision.          

-Shannon Leigh

I like to make stuff, really out of anything.  I'll pile rocks in a design, alter my clothes, decorate my bike, etc.  

My favorite part of painting these was working on the abstract backgrounds.

I didn't start making art until I was in my 30's, and truthfully I'm not even comfortable calling it art.  It started out as an overwhelming urge to stand against the bombing in Afghanistan.  I started by spray painting anti-war slogans on anything, even used clothing.  I was interested in upcycling before up-cycling was even a thing.  

Because I am not an artist in any of the conventional ways of thinking about it I don't have any constraints - meaning, it doesn't matter to me if anybody likes it, I don't need to sell it, or show anybody, or create on permanent materials, it doesn't matter if I improve, or even if anyone knows it was me who made it.  This gives me the limitless freedom of creating what I want when I want to.  The down side of this is that I often get things 80% finished and then stop.

Since I was a child, I've always been fascinated with the Huron Lighthouse.  10 years ago I spent one summer sketching and painting images of the lighthouse.  I've included several pieces from that series in this post.  

The following painting used to be part of the water wall in the Huron studio. It has since been painted over and photos are the only record.

Teaching, learning, and most importantly practicing yoga continue to be the main foci of my life. Although I incorporate many different modern styles, as well as Tai Chi and dance into my personal practice, I am predominantly an old school yogi. In addition to the postures, a large portion of my yoga consists of breathing exercises, cleansing exercises, chanting, meditation, and studying philosophy. When I’m not teaching yoga, you’ll most likely find me being quiet, growing food, petting dogs, getting paint on my good clothes and walking in the woods.

Below is a self- portrait I painted during the same period as the lighthouses. I have a lot more grey in my beard now!