A Dynamite Conversation with Henryk

Henryk is a textual abstract artist and photographer based in Sydney, Australia. He is a completely self-taught artist. He studied graphic design & visual communication at DCA In Brisbane. With a background in fashion photography and an eye honed behind the lens shooting editorials & campaigns across the world, he also channels his creativity back into painting contemporary abstract works inspired by color, the thickness of paint and texture of stroke is found in tones & colors found in the pages of fashion magazines. Using the moment of creation itself to guide him where nothing but the colors are pre-determined. His current selection of works is studies of balance, the weight of texture, and the exploration of color. Characterized by bright and bold hues and an intuitive approach to his craft, it is the force for much of his inspiration.

His most recent shows have been shown at The White at the White at End of the Tunnel' Group Show, Mr. Minty's, Sydney, 2021; the Other Art Fair, Sydney, 2021, 'Millisecond exhibition, Twenty twenty-six Gallery, Bondi, 2022; the Other Art Fair, Sydney 2022, 'Ode to Yves' group show, Showroom-X, Perth, 2022 and elsewhere.

I had the pleasure of asking Henryk about NFTs, why he started creating paintings, how he uses paintings to tell a story, and so much more.

UZOMAH: What are the most crucial elements in making a painting?

HENRYK: The energy & vibration. How high my vibration is while making a painting and going into the process of making one, I think that’s the most crucial element. Sometimes I put off making a painting for a week or two waiting for the right time where I’m feeling higher, feeling a little lighter. The rest of the process just reacts to that.

U: Why did you start creating paintings?

H: I wanted to be a child again. I wanted to see how much paint I could keep on a canvas before it cracked or fell off. I wanted to see how much I could expand the limitations of a canvas or board.

U: Your latest pieces are studies of balance, the weight of texture, and the exploration of color; what was the inspiration behind those focuses?

H: Balance is innately part of every piece, they always start and end with balance being a major prerogative within each work. I think I learnt all my design principles within my graphic design studies at a young age and and it’s now an unwavering part of my work. Like a now unspoken language I learnt, Like it’s in my blood. I like to push the height & texture as far as I can as that’s the part that really excites me, but that balance doesn’t waver.

Then days later once the pieces dry, the next stage of colour begins and the pieces evolve and blossom again. Colour is just so emotive and exciting to me. I want intensity and vibrancy do I now make all my own paint.

U: How do you use painting to tell a story?

H: I like having & creating a state of intensity for the viewer. I want the viewer to feel like the paint might just drip of the canvas onto the floor at any point. That excites me.

And I like how people can feel the gestural feelings I felt making it, all by looking at the strokes I made. Feeling the strokes. I like that that fleeting moment is then encapsulated.

U: Who would it be and why if you could go on a vacation with any artist or photographer taking photos?

H: Probably Picasso. Or Van Gogh, I’d love to see that era of art renaissance. Everything was deemed more valuable back then. Even a paint tube.

U: Can you describe your process of making the paint so thick and your defined result?

H: I use really thick gel and mix in the desired paint color, and then wait for it to bind well before I brush it.

Or I mix the concrete with minimal wet added polymers for higher lift and more polymer for a wetter flow mix. But there is also the reality of drying time so it depends on the size of the piece.

U: How do you choose colors when in front of a blank canvas?

H: The color is the first & largest decision before anything else begins. Once that’s tested and mixed the painting begins for any solid state piece.

With the Ultra Matte pieces: (sometimes even for commissions) I’ll make a few pieces and once they dry I’ll decide on which ones are going what color once they are dry. Some pieces will have stronger strokes that need softer colors for example. So you need to feel into the personality of each piece. They are made so quick and I never want to over work them or make them work. They each sing their own song through the gestural strokes.

U: What are your views on NFTs and the future of art seen as an in-person activity only?

H: Nfts are so shit. Well, like 90% of them are rubbish let’s be honest. I wanted to make something great. {Not just another meme coin.} I wanted to push the boundaries yet further of what art can be, even what my art can be, to the viewer. I searched the limitations my art has, and wanted to feel past them. With my solid state series, the deep blue pieces were always made with ‘tumultuous oceans in the dead of night’ in mind. And how better than bring that to one’s room, to one’s house? To feel that intensity play out in your own living room. Well, now you don’t need to guess. We’ve made that feeling come to life so we can all endure the dark seas together. Check it out here:

https://opensea.io/collection/henryk-studio-collection

For more information about Henryk’s artwork, please visit his site and follow him on Instagram.

A Dynamite Conversation with Henryk

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