Hennie Reimer,
contemporary artist, Petoskey, Michigan
An artist by birth in her native Denmark, Hennie Reimer was admonished as a child for drawing on the walls of her bedroom. Then her mother began encouraging her talent and provided more opportunity to express her creativity through wall paper books and paint samples. She is a natural painter by talent and ambition, working almost every day in her studio.
Her formal art education concluded with a Masters of Fine Art from the State University of New York at Buffalo where she learned from numerous excellent contemporary painters. She pursued further educational opportunities by accepting an Associate Professorship in Art at Sienna Heights University, Adrian, Michigan, a position she held for many years.
She is a natural teacher and has recently fulfilled a lifelong dream, by publishing a book, “Abstract Painting: A Practical Approach”. From this writer’s perspective this is a superior text for the purpose of learning to paint, for not only is the text practical, but it is so clearly written so as to move one forward with confidence on the path of artistic expression.
About her work, Hennie says:
“I like to create abstract compositions in my studio. I am challenged by the idea of creating something altogether new. People who don’t know better may say, “it is easy to paint abstracts because you can just do what you want”. They miss the point entirely because exactly the opposite is true: when you have no model to provide clues, it is challenging to compose an abstract painting and make it “work”. Ideas usually present themselves to me in a completed form – sometimes in a dream but most often as an inner vision. I have to work hard to make them become a reality.
I also enjoy nature and I like nothing better than to sit in a beautiful spot with paper, pencils and paints. I will look at what I see and attempt to interpret the scene in terms of color and form in a simplistic manner that will convey an impression of the scene in front of me. I do not strive for representational perfection in my renderings of nature – a camera does this better.
Before deciding upon Petoskey, Michigan as home, she and her husband Borge and had lived in Copenhagen, Denmark, St. Catherines, Ontario Canada, Toledo,Ohio and Longboat Key in Florida. They have 2 children and 4 grandchildren.
Hennie enjoys nature and long walks have always been a part of her daily routine. She brings her camera and once back home, she likes to print some of the pictures on her computer. She spends much of her time painting in her studio.
The exhibition of Hennie’s work now on display at WARD Gallery, Petoskey in the loft above Ciao Bella! contains mixed media abstract paintings, watercolors with an abstracted appeal, and pen and ink drawings of the land of Northwest Michigan. Hours at 409 E. Lake St are 10-6 Monday-Saturday, tel# 622.4185 and the text is available at the Gallery and on Amazon.
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