I was born in Manhattan, New York. Some of my earliest memories are of the displays in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where my parents would take me whenever they could. I grew up watching my dad Cary Henrie paint, and he would draw little figures that I would try to copy. He helped me with my first oil painting, and since the age of five I have said that I would grow up to be an artist like him. I’ve been lucky to have my own personal professional art teacher throughout my life, and he has taught me everything I know.

I grew up in Bountiful, Utah, and am currently starting my senior year as an Illustration major at Brigham Young University, in Provo, Utah. I began selling paintings in galleries at the age of 16, and have sold paintings ever since. I have had the opportunity to study under Sherrie McGraw in her workshop in Taos, which greatly improved my understanding of painting in oil. Some of the most influential experiences for my art have been living in England and Italy on study abroad courses. My primary influence is from Pre-Renaissance masters, along with the feel of antiquity. Pre-Renaissance work has inspired a lot of the compositions, colors, and patterns I use in my own work. I am fascinated by the effects of age and feel of texture, and incorporate much of the texture I see around me into my art. Studying in Italy dramatically changed my art for the better; with the lighting, texture, and atmosphere I observed there.

Much of the art I do is figurative, primarily women and children in mixed media of acrylic, oil, charcoal pencil, and gesso texturing. More than anything I aim to create a window of peace in the attitudes and expressions of my figures, in which they mostly appear to be thinking. Many people ask “What is she thinking about?” One of the purposes of my work is to cause the viewer to reflect on their own life, their own windows of peace and happiness, to see more clearly what they hope for in the future. Most of my figures tend to radiate an inner calm and satisfaction, and my hope is that this may in turn have the viewer find that mirrored in themselves.

Awards
•Featured in Southwest Art Magazine’s “21 under 30” article September 2008
•Utah State Sterling Scholar 2004
•Springville Student Show Master’s Award 2004
•Brigham Young University Tuition Talent Award 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007
•Boyd K. Packer Scholarship 2007 Full tuition