Artist Interview with Richard McHenry
Richard McHenry is a Sacramento-based photographer who creates compelling images through combining his interests in portraiture, fashion, pop art and street photography. His style of work can best be described as narrative, as each image tells a rich and evocative story. Precisely what that story is, he leaves to the interpretation of the viewer. Richard’s body of work shows boldness in his use of contrast, playfulness in composition, and delight in his use of color.
“Some art does tell a story, but there is not just one story told by a piece of art. I invite you to find your own connections, your own short stories in these images.”
What inspires your work?
Visiting art museums always inspires me, and it turns out that the artwork that interests me always has good composition. My favorite painting is ‘Christina’s World’ by Andrew Wyeth, which hangs in the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) in New York City. I am inspired by the world around me, such as interesting walls, urban settings or natural elements.
Tell us how you got into photographic art?
I loved to draw growing up. A No. 2 pencil and any piece of paper were my tools to produce realistic and abstract drawings. A genetic gift resulting in shaky hands ended drawing and art classes at the end of my teenage years. Fortunately, my high school opened a darkroom and started offering photography classes as my hands became more uncooperative. So, photography (taking photos, developing film and learning darkroom processing and tricks) became my artistic outlet. I began working part time at a local photographic studio, learning lighting and more darkroom techniques. Going on to college to study photography was a natural course. But after a while I became frustrated that portraits offered little opportunity for artistic variation, weddings were tedious, commercial shoots were of little interest and darkroom techniques were incapable of producing what I envisioned. Film photography was too limited to make the art I wanted to make and routine studio work was no longer of any interest to me. I decided to quit photography and get a real education and a real job.
Which career did you then move to, and how did it influence your photography?
I signed up for civil engineering classes, starting from the basics. After graduating from college, I worked as an engineer doing environmental regulatory work, a challenging, fulfilling and rewarding career choice. I quit photography completely during this period. Several years (decades) later, I retired from the regulatory life and now do environmental engineering work for environmental groups.
With the rise of digital photography and computer processing, it became possible to create endless artistic changes through digital manipulation. This new technology allowed me to make changes that were not thinkable before. My interest in experimenting and figuring out how things work can be seen in the photos. Many of the images use structural, engineered elements to create interest and texture in a piece.
Which photographer most inspires you?
Seeing an exhibit of Robert Mapplethorpe’s celebrity portraits inspired me to take portraits again. Each of his portraits was accompanied by a complete description of the process of capturing the image. This completely changed my views of portraiture; it was interesting again. The portraiture and fashion photography of Richard Avedon has also been a great influence, allowing for the creativity that I didn’t think film allowed. I have always been a fan of Pop Art, particularly the work of Roy Lichtenstein. Digital manipulation allows for photographic interpretation of Pop Art styles. Street photography is another interest and is a major force in today’s photography world.
Tell us about your recent solo show!
I was very fortunate to have the opportunity for a solo show (also called an Artist Spotlight) at The Mills Station Arts and Culture Center throughout October 2021. I am so grateful to The MACC, and their curator Cheryl Gleason for making this possible. I hung at least 60 pieces, and had a wonderful time during the reception/artist talk hosted by The MACC.
A good friend and excellent artist, Kathy Young Ross, used to tell me that my photographs told a story, which I considered quite a compliment. Kathy suggested that I write a short story to accompany each of my photographs. As much as I respected and appreciated Kathy’s advice, I’ve never done that, nor have I for this exhibit, and I want to explain. So this is how the show became titled Photographic Short Stories.
How can the public get in touch with you?
I can be reached via email at rmchenry1403@aol.com.
Interview for Rancho Cordova Arts
Written by Eileen Noyer and Richard McHenry