Hello

My name is James Henke.  Fine Art is my second career.  I spent most of my working life in educational theatre, teaching and designing university theatre productions.  My M.F.A. from Florida State University is in Stage Design.  In addition to campus productions I worked professionally as a scene/lighting designer and scenic artist.  As my teaching career drew to a close, I found my interest growing in fine art.  My father had been a graphic artist and weekend painter so I was to some extent familiar with the tools and practices. Perhaps due to its similarity to drawing I began to experiment with pastels and found that they worked well for me. Later I expanded into using oil and acrylic.  After retirement from teaching I relocated to my home state of Michigan and found inspiration in the varied scenery of the Western Michigan area for my landscape paintings.