HENRY MORENO FINE ART

Henry Moreno

Artist Statement

As we go through life our visual experiences are recorded in our subconscious memory.  These memories form paradigms, or filters, that shape how we see the world and everything in it.  For Artists these paradigms determine not only what we paint, but how we paint it.  Some only see what's wrong with the world, or avoid reality.  Some see the sunshine and beauty.

Henry believes he grew up during the best of times to develop visual paradigms.  He was born in the midst of the Great Depression and grew up during Wold War II when everything was scarce.  Families worked together, played together and stayed together.  Everyone grew some of their own food and children learned firsthand of the miraclee of the seed, sunshine and rain.  Every young boy he knew owned a shotgun or a "twenty-two" and hunted rabbits or quail after school, but there was no violence in our schools.  Most people were poor, but you didn't have to lock your doors at night.  There was no TV, nights were filled with good books and stories on the radio that stretched and developed a vivid visual imagination.  Everyone had the same "American Dream" that honesty, hard work, taking responsibility for your own future and a little help from God would turn your dream into reality.

Some Artists say they paint "emotion" or an abstract "thought", but these are not visible things and they must resort to intellectual rhetoric to tell you what they want you to see in their "Art".  Instead Henry paints a "visual moment" in which the light played on a subject in a striking way, or the color, or the look on a person's face, or the situation made the Artist want to capture it in the hope that the viewer will experience the same feeling the Artist experienced.  He wants to share the feelings we get when we see sunlight sparkling on water, or the angelic face of a child.  He wants to capture the look on a grandfather's face when he holds his first grandchild in his arms, or when he looses his life long love.  He wants to share the tranquility of a beautiful landscape at dusk, the awe of geese in flight at dawn, the thrill of a big fish at the end of your line.

Vincent Van Gogh said "It is not the language of painters, but the language of nature which one should listen to...".  Edgar Degas said "Art is not what you see, but what you make others see.".  Henry agrees with them and adds: "Great artists capture and communicate the visual aspects that invoke emotion in the viewer and leave out what detracts from that feeling.".

Henry wants to share with you the visual moments of people and places he loves.  He wants to capture some of the "Disappearing Americana" from earlier days.  He wants to take you places he's traveled all over this great country and from the South Pacific to Greenland, from England to Japan, from New Zealand to South Africa.  Some Artists want to share their art education with you, Henry wants to share "Life".  He only hopes he lives long enough to share it all with you.