Lisa Hendrickson

Lisa Hendrickson is a figurative artist based in the Philadelphia area. She combines traditional oil painting techniques with textural mixed media materials to tell her subjects’ stories. Her works frequently incorporate unconventional materials like cardboard, newsprint, paper bags, and cork, revealing the beauty in ordinary, often discarded objects. Hendrickson’s community volunteer work informs her artwork, resulting in pieces that raise awareness about the societal issues of homelessness, gun violence, and gender equality. In addition to creating artwork, she hosts an bi-monthly art table at Broad Street Love, a Philadelphia based organization serving those experiencing deep poverty. There she engages with guests in creative, therapeutic art activities which offer pleasure and satisfaction to those experiencing scarcity. She is also a teaching artist leading workshops for the Willingboro Art Alliance.

Hendrickson was born and raised in suburban Chicago. She began painting and drawing in high school, often inspired by old family photos with their sepia shades and vintage costumes. After college, she moved to New York City to pursue a 30 year career in fashion design. Since retiring, she resumed her fine art journey taking classes at the Philadelphia Academy of Fine Arts, Fleisher Art Memorial, and Winslow Art Center studying painting with artists including Fred Danziger, Peter Van Dyke, and Patrick Lee. She is inspired by Dorthea Lang, Hung Liu, and Leroy Skalstad whose works visually tell the stories of people experiencing food insecurity and displacement. Her work has been featured in two solo shows and has won numerous awards in juried shows across New Jersey.

Experimenting with oil paint and mixed media, I try to visually tell the stories of people and places I have experienced. Heavily influenced by human expression, my work strives to capture the mood and emotion of the moment. I paint people and places with interesting features which reflect their rich histories and lived experiences. Closely cropped compositions and strong lighting are often an important aspect of my intimate, almost invasive portraits. The process of creation inspires me to experiment with textural techniques including work with palette knives, mixed media collages, stencils, and metallic paint. Vintage photos of everyday life often serve as subject matter with their imperfect images telling stories of the past. In connection with my community volunteer work, I create artwork to raise awareness about the societal issues of homelessness, gun violence, and gender equality. 

NJ