Home alone
From the “if you’re adalia dawn” series, by Ranee Henderson
Humble beginnings couldn’t deter Ranee Henderson. Now she’s the recipient of a solo show at the PV Art Center
Ranee Henderson didn’t grow up with a silver spoon in her mouth. She was born in Lincoln, Nebraska, in 1981, the child of mixed-race parents. She was was raised by her mother and older sister while her father was in prison. For an artist, however, influences are where you find them and Henderson’s “Latchkey,” her solo show at the Palos Verdes Art Center, derives in large part from memories and experiences in an impoverished environment.
Henderson is still at an early stage in her artistic career, but her work — predominantly paintings, but also some sculptural or assemblage work and photographic manipulation — is vibrantly colored and richly textured. The lush, impastoed surfaces are often swirled and stirred as well as raked or combed. The effect is of paint alive and on the move.
Ranee Henderson with her painting, “if you get scared.” Photo
Chance and determination
Prominently displayed in “Latchkey” are six 24”x30” portraits called “if you’re adalia dawn” These are abstract depictions of Henderson’s sister, who is six years older. They’re an integral part of the exhibition, several pieces of which “were influenced by my sister and her presence, and her either teaching me something or neglecting to teach me something.
“I didn’t necessarily tag along after her,” Henderson continues. “It was more like we’re sisters and we’re thrown together, and she had to take care of me… A lot of the stuff that’s in [the show] is more about what our relationship is now, even though they’re images of when we were younger.”
Because her family had to scrape by financially, Henderson was unable to partake of certain activities (like joining a soccer team) for which most people would be able to budget. And so, she says, “I just had to be inventive with a lot of the things that I spent my time on. I’d sit in my room a lot and build things (out of) Legos and things like that. That stuff was very influential.”
She chose the “Latchkey” theme, she says, “because I thought it was a perfect starting point and a good introduction to who I am and my work.” Of course, and it need hardly be said, “I’m definitely interested in exploring other avenues that aren’t just about my autobiographical situation or narrative.”
In retrospect, it’s surprising to learn that Henderson initially balked at pursuing art.
“I was really resistant to being an artist at all because my mother was very artistic and she really pushed me towards it. I was rebellious against it for a long time, and that, honestly, has in a weird way influenced a lot of the decisions that I’ve made now — just coming to terms with why am I rebelling against something that I really enjoy doing and that I’m pretty good at, or seem to be good at.”
Artist Ranee Henderson. Photo
And yet, I think, Henderson’s mother giving her younger daughter a push was a good thing because it led to a sort of compromise situation, which then opened up a door to an art career.
“Because I was a latchkey kid,” Henderson says, “because we were really poor, I always just wanted a very steady, stable job and a salaried paid position.” Specifically, she wanted to be a shoe designer. “That was something I’ve been interested in since I was eight years old.”
And so Henderson headed for the Emily Carr University of Art and Design in Vancouver.
Once there, however, another hurdle remained.
“At Emily Carr you have to apply to the school, be accepted at the school, and then apply to the design program after you’ve already taken some of the core classes.
‘So, when I was getting my portfolio ready for design areas,” Henderson says, “I decided I’ll just take a painting class to kind of offset the rigorous stuff that I was doing at the time, and I really liked it, and my teacher was very supportive, and it just kind of went from there.”
After earning her degree, Henderson briefly returned to Nebraska where she decided she wanted to attend graduate school.
“I applied to grad schools everywhere, and I was rejected from everywhere; but Art Center (in Pasadena) offered me a scholarship in the illustration program, so that’s why I went to Art Center.
“I think I’ve just been developing from there,” Henderson says, “and I feel a little bit more comfortable with where I’m at with my work now.”
Ranee Henderson and her sculpture “just so.” Photo
Making her moves
If I haven’t said it already, I’ll say it now: Ranee Henderson’s work is distinctive. Visually, the vital elements are her use of color and texture.
“The colors aren’t something I developed through any sort of study,” she says. “I have taken a color theory class and that helped a little… It’s not something I really agonize about; it comes naturally. I love colors.”
It’s intuition, then?
“Yeah. That’s probably the most intuitive part of what I do. Because I do agonize a little bit more about what textures should be here, or what narrative I’m going to focus on.
“if you need toys for tots,” by Ranee Henderson
“Artistically,” Henderson continues, “I’m definitely influenced by a lot of narrative artists who do abstractions on the narration in some sense. I sort of fell on that particular type of image-making because I don’t want you to immediately know exactly what’s going on. At the same time, I want whoever is viewing it to have some sort of connection with it and relatability.”
She mentions a few artists, Leon Golub and Kim Dingle among them, whose work she admires and, who knows, perhaps is influenced by, and one artist who comes to mind for me is the Harlem Renaissance painter Jacob Lawrence, largely because of the flat surface effect and the use of pure, unmixed color.
Henderson, as mentioned, also forays into other mediums (“I like to have options,” she says), and points out that her sculptural work is both more intuitive and less stressful.
“I’m not thinking how everybody’s going to react to it as much. I love working with wood and metal and I’m hoping I’m not going to be pigeonholed as just a painter. I would like to continue working in sculpture as well as photography.” There are several mixed media works on view with photographs (of the artist, and of her sister) as the essential component — again, presumably tying in with her “Latchkey” and early autobiographical theme.
“if you’re drowning,” by Ranee Henderson
Despite being the recipient of a fine solo show (the result of her receiving the PV Art Center’s 2014 Alpay Purchase Award, which includes a scholarship exhibition), Henderson is aware that there’s a long road ahead and she wants to merge onto it slowly.
“There are some people, especially in art school,” she says, “who would really like to hit the ground running, making however much per painting right away.”
Henderson, though, isn’t ready to part ways with academia so quickly. It was just this year that she earned her BFA in illustration from Art Center, but she believes that going to grad school will further hone her skills and broaden her knowledge of art, past and present.
“I just feel it’s important for me to do that,” she explains. “I don’t think it’s important for everyone, but for me, specifically, I’m probably the perfect candidate for grad school at this time because I really need the facilities and the environment and the pressure; I work really well with that pressure.
“That’s my short-term goal.” And after that? “I want a long-term career as an artist, and if I could teach that would be awesome.”
Ranee Henderson is determined, I can see it; and she’s just gearing up for battle and the big adventure ahead of her.
“Ranee Henderson: Latchkey,” curated by Joe Baker and Gail Phinney, is on view through July 19 at the Palos Verdes Art Center, 5504 W. Crestridge Road, Rancho Palos Verdes. For more information, go to pvartcenter.org.