Shirley Henry

Born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Shirley Henry attended Goldsmiths’ College, London. 

Shirley’s art has been influenced by her upbringing along the rugged Causeway Coast in Northern Ireland, with an emphasis on capturing nature and the elements in all their forms. She is fascinated by portraying the atmospheric life of the study in her works and likes to convey her personal and emotional reaction to this. She is also drawn to natural forms and the vibrancy of their colour. Her work sits at the edge of figurative and abstraction and she enjoys moving between the two.

She enjoys working in a variety of mediums including oils, charcoal pencil and chalk pastels particularly trying to capture fleeting moments of expression and the figure.

Working in plein air, she relishes the freedom and connection with nature and the direct observational and energetic response it brings to her work.  

Some of Shirley’s early work has been inspired by the classical techniques of the 15th Century Flemish Technique Masters and she continues to incorporate this into her work. She particularly enjoys working in oils and the way the medium allows the artist to move beyond the realms of photorealism.