Henri started painting as a young adult, using skills he learnt during his school years. He would buy old prints and lightly sand them down with sanding paper and then oil paint on the image to enhance the print with including more brighter colours. He enjoyed this so much on his days off from work that he could easily start at ten in the morning and continue painting until the sky would turn dark again, realizing that he never even stopped for lunch.
After retiring about seven years ago, he started doing more craft again. Before this he was always too busy with work, especially since running his own business. He started taking up sewing after his wife taught him for about 18 months how to read a pattern and this opened up a whole new world of creativity to him.
He incorporated one of his painted artworks that got featured in the Waitakere Arts 2023 calendar, into a coat he designed - printing the artwork onto fabric and using this to sew a coat together.
He also designed a tool, called "The Eye Design". This tool is designed to make it easier for all people who have an interest in learning. It can be used for painting, photography, fashion, interior design, garden design and more. Elements and principles of design are a guide to train your eyes in such a way that whate4ver you create is more pleasing to the eyes of the public. He is very proud of this achievement because of the knowledge that he can pass on to others through this.
To artists just starting out on their creative journey, his advice is to start with whatever you feel comfortable with. Look at YouTube clips or enroll in classes available in your area. Master the elements and principles of design and the world becomes your oyster where you can be the pearl. The beauty with craft and art is that you never stop learning. Feel free in whatever you feel like doing. The most important thing is that you enjoy what you are creating. When you are able to feel so free tat you are lost in time, that is an amazing experience and one he would wish for everyone who is creative to feel.
His favorite materials to work with is acrylic and fabrics, most of the time cotton which he turns into coats. He enjoys doing abstract art and can totally lost in time while being creative.
A message that he would like to convey through his art is to be as creative as you can and don't allow others to define who you are or put you in a box. Use the materials around you and be open to experiment with working with all kinds of supplies and substances.
To see more of Henri's work, you can view his YouTube channel "Dino the Parrot lives in villa comedy" or follow him on Facebook or Instagram.
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