Henriette Busch is a painter and digital artist living and working in St Albans, who studied Fine Art at the University of Hertfordshire. Henriette has been making art for over 15 years and has exhibited widely in the UK since 2003. Her vibrant and exuberant work is in private collections in England, The Netherlands, Germany, USA and Dubai.
Self-taught or art school?
Both! Art School (Foundation course in Art & Design) followed by 3 years of a BA Fine Art course at the University of Hertfordshire. But I found that although this degree course was brilliant in many ways, it didn’t really “teach” fundamental principles in the traditional way, so although the course very much enriched me and actually changed my life, it left me wanting in certain skills which I had to acquire myself…and it’s a continuing process of course.
If you could own one work of art what would it be?
Richard Diebenkorn’s painting “Ocean view from window” – the inviting, tempting ocean in the background, the sun shining on the fields, the soft blue sky – make me want to jump into that painting.
How would you describe your style?
My art is split into 2 categories –abstract expressionist and figurative. I love working in both styles, and often have 2 or more canvasses on the go at the same time, one of each and they can inform each other.
My style is painterly as I use brush marks as a means of expression in my paintings, and they are part of the evolution of a piece of work. Mark making, together with intense colour, are an integral part of my paintings because they convey emotion and meaning, rather than reality.
My abstract work is more about movement and journeys, whereas my figurative work is about particular memories of places, houses and people.
Can you tell us about your process when creating your work?
It depends on whether I am working on a particular theme or idea that I want to convey and then I usually do a few preliminary sketches, but if I am just “playing” with paint, with no prior plan, then I let this process of just putting paint and marks on paper take me to wherever it wants to, and when it feels right I stop. I often paint instinctively and I use colour instinctively, and sometimes those intuitive, experimental or accidental paintings are the best ones.
Is narrative important within your work?
Yes definitely. In my work, I want to express certain emotions, evocations, and stories about places and people. Even in my very abstract work, there is a narrative. Through the marks I make, and the colours I use, I want to express the sense of a journey, and movement. I believe that this need, and sense, of movement in my abstract paintings, has to do with the many journeys I have undertaken in my life, the countries and houses I have lived in over the years and the recall of those journeys has drip-fed into my work. Whether consciously or subconsciously I want to express, through the paint and mark-making, how it was – and how it compares to now – the colours, the sights, sounds and smells of everything around me. And of course, I want these feelings to somehow resonate with the viewer too – not just with me – and if they do, then I feel that the work has succeeded.
Who are your favourite artists and why?
So many to choose from, it’s a hard question but to narrow it down –
Richard Diebenkorn – for his luscious, sensual colours, for his great sense of perspective, for his wonderful landscapes and figures. Deceptively simple but actually really complex!
Edvard Munch – his paintings are so expressive and very often are soulful and haunting. They are full of longing and sadness.
Willem de Koning – I love his joyful exuberant abstracts and his mark-making. His paintings are so wild and free, they have a melodic, organic quality with their rich colours and bold shapes. I’d love to be able to paint like him.
Peter Doig – I find his work very interesting and beguiling, for the stories they tell, for the hidden meanings that the viewer has to unravel…
What or who inspires your art?
Beauty – of nature, landscapes (external and imagined ones), the human body, and the remembrance of my eventful life. The many wonderful painters – dead and alive – whose work resonates with me and I feel a connection to.
Where’s your studio and what’s it like?
My studio is at the bottom of my garden and rather small and cluttered. It’s crammed full of my paintings but I don’t have space in my house to put my work so it’s always a challenge to tidy and organise and put things in their right place so I can find them back…and to make sure that my finished paintings are facing against the wall so they don’t get splattered (this has happened before…) But I love my studio despite its’ shortcomings, it’s my refuge, my special place, and even when I am not in the mood to be creative, once I am in there, something happens to change that.
Do you have any studio rituals?
I put the radio on (Radio 4 or LBC – 2 complete opposites) and then spend some minutes looking for the tools I need to start working. I’d like to listen to more music while working but for some reason, I find this distracting so I rather listen to speech. I’ll have a cup of tea with me, usually. Before I start working on something, I look at my recently completed work or work still in progress, see it again with a fresh eye, and decide if there is anything that needs improving or changing somehow, before I start on something new. If there are several such pieces, I put them together so I can work on them next time.
Q
What are you working on currently?
I am currently working on a body of work which tries to explore the question of “Fragments left” What do I mean by that? I mean the fragments of memories of places or houses I have lived in long ago, that were meaningful to me – how best to express those fragmented memories, those remnants of feelings, in paint and mark making. So far, I have completed about 6 paintings and some sketches which are relevant to this theme.
I don’t have prices on these websites, so if you would like to enquire about this, please either message me on Facebook or send me an email to hbusch@ntlworld.com
www.henriettebusch.com
www.facebook.com/henriette.busch.1
www.instagram.com/buschhenriette