portfolio

Friday, August 16, 2019

International Guild of Realism


My painting "The Making of a Cowboy" will be for sale at the International Guild of Realism show in Alexandria, Va

Monday, May 20, 2019

Tooty Tutor~Oil Painting by K Henderson

Tooty Tutor, 10 x 8, oil on canvas

Music. That is my current theme for my Vintage Card trompe l'oeil oil paintings.

First up is Tooty Tutor. He is from an Old Maid card game
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Friday, May 17, 2019

Singing Cat~Oil Painting by K Henderson


Singing Cat, 24 x 18, oil on cradled board

I love these vintage boxes of 'School Crayons'. I wish I could find more of them.

Felix the Cat sings along as a young boy plays the pipe organ. The box has seen better days but the cat keeps singing.

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Monday, May 13, 2019

Space - O~Oil Painting by K Henderson


Space - O, oil on linen, 30 x 24

Here's another painting of a Vintage 'School Crayon' box.  The boy and girl are in a Flying Saucer against a red background. These space age artists have done a great job coloring inside the lines (mostly) Available

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Friday, May 10, 2019

Fireman~Oil Painting by K Henderson



Fireman, 10 x 8, oil on board
I had extra fun with this Trompe L'oeil. This vintage card depicts Fireman Damper Downe. It's from an Old Maid deck.
Looks like he has gotten a little close to the fire yet his bunker gear remains nice, bright and clean.
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Monday, May 6, 2019

The Dentist~Oil Painting by K Henderson



The Dentist, oil on board, 10 x 8

Welcome to my Game Card Series of paintings. These are small, fun trompe l'oeil oil paintings of  cards from vintage games.

My first offering is The Dentist from the 1938 game 'Who is the Thief'.

Note: No vintage card was harmed in the making of this painting. I scan my cards and print them on card stock. I them take the print and rip, smudge, stomp and tape to give them the Character that I want.
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Friday, May 3, 2019

Fortune Telling Cat~Oil Painting by K Henderson

Fortune Telling Cat, 24 x 30, oil on canvas

Who can resist a cat that can tell the future? I really like these vintage fortune telling cards because they look like they were hand painted.

The Black Cat is against a green background, winking as though he holds all your secrets in his hand.

The transparent tape keeps the box together 

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Monday, April 29, 2019

Buck Rogers Crayon Ship~Oil Painting by K Henderson


Buck Rogers Crayon Ship, 24 x 18, oil on cradled board

I enjoyed painting my Felix the Cat pencil box so much that I went looking for more pencil boxes. Buck Rogers Crayon Ship caught my eye because of the bright colors and, well, it's really cool!

I'll be creating another painting using this box because it has great graphics on the back, too. The 'chalk drawings' (yes, these are painted with oil paint) are also based on the graphics from this box.

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Friday, April 26, 2019

Tek-No-Krazy~Oil Painting by K Henderson



Tek-No-Krazy, 30 x 30, oil on linen

Here's another game that I had to paint once I saw it. The game is small, about 8" x 8" and I thought it deserved to be seen BIG.

I'm not sure of the exact date this game came on the scene but, obviously, it was when we were still in awe of outer space, robots and flying saucers. Some of us still are.Available

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Monday, April 22, 2019

Orbit~Oil Painting by K Henderson

Orbit, 20 x 30, oil on linen

Here's my latest Trompe L'oeil painting in my Vintage Board Game series. This game was manufactured by Parker Brothers in 1959.

My Orbit game is in pretty good shape. Fortunately, I have 2 very beat up Monopoly games that I used for inspiration for the tape, dents and dings.

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Friday, April 19, 2019

Wonderful Cat~Oil Painting by K Henderson



Wonderful Cat, 18 x 24, oil on cradled board

I came across this Felix the Cat Crayon Box  while engaged in my never ending search for vintage toys. The colors of the box and the pencils screamed out "Paint Me!" so I did. I don't know if any of the pencils are original to the box but I don't really care.

This Trompe  L'oeil shows a box of colored pencils manufactured by the American Lead Pencil Company. These were called School Crayon Boxes although these are obviously pencils. Felix the Cat is painting up a storm!

By the way, Felix is one old cat! He first appeared around 1919 and is still going strong

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Monday, April 15, 2019

Ride Em' Cowboy~Oil Painting by K Henderson




Ride Em' Cowboy, detail, 18 x 24, oil on canvas

Ok, my secret is out. I love vintage cowboy figurines. Alright, it wasn't much of a secret. I collect them. I display them. I love them.

The background features a silk scarf with a wonderful picture of a cowboy on a horse.  Each ceramic cowboy has his own palomino  horse and a cactus to show us he is in the Southwest.

I like the hard, shiny figurines against the soft texture of the scarf and rug.
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Friday, April 12, 2019

Transition~Oil Painting by K Henderson

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Transition, 16 x 20, oil on cradled board

tran·si·tion/tranˈziSHÉ™n/ Noun:The process or a period of changing from one state or condition to another.

"Superman fights a never-ending battle for truth and justice, disguised as a mild mannered newspaper reporter Clark Kent."

This Trompe L'Oeil painting shows the transition between Clark Kent and Superman. And, yes, the "Frame" is part of the painting.
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Friday, April 5, 2019

Cherry Splash~Oil Painting by K Henderson



Cherry Splash, 30 x 40, oil on linen

This is another in my Cocktail series. I wanted to paint a red cocktail with cherries and this is the results.
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Monday, April 1, 2019

Foiled Again~Oil Painting by K Henderson



Foiled Again, 40 x 30, oil on linen

What can I say? This is a painting of stacked cookies and their reflection.

I love those windmill cookies, don't you? Yum!

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Friday, March 29, 2019

Chocolate Fund~Oil Painting by K Henderson



Chocolate Fund, 24 x 18, oil on cradled board

While doing research on WWII propaganda posters I came across this poster for the American Chocolate Fund. I knew it HAD to be included in a painting.

The American Chocolate fund's goal was to send 1000 pounds of chocolate EACH WEEK(!) to the American Expeditionary Forces in France. Wow!

This Trompe L'oeil includes the poster along with a Hershey's Chocolate Bar in a World War II era wrapper.
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Monday, March 25, 2019

Gotta Dance~Oil Painting by K Henderson


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Gotta Dance, 30 x 30, oil on linen

I attended ballet classes for years.I was in class 4-5 days a week. Alas, Ballet was not my true talent. But I was pleased to find a pair of my old toe shoes and use them in this painting. 

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Wednesday, March 20, 2019

Car Key~Oil Painting by K Henderson





Car Key, oil on cradled board, 18 x 24

I recently bought a few diecast cars and this Chevy is one of my favorites. This is another in my 'Toys in a Box' series

In addition to the car, I've included a key and vintage blocks. All of them are in a wooden box.  

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Tuesday, March 19, 2019

Key to the Future~Oil Painting by K Henderson



Key to the Future, 12 x 12, oil on cradled board

This small Trompe L'Oeil focuses on the Tarot's High Priestess. She is a symbol of wisdom and knowledge. Also included are a Key (key to knowledge) and an Owl's feather (symbol of wisdom)

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Monday, March 18, 2019

Ace 92~Oil Painting by K Henderson



Ace 92, 12 x 12, oil on cradled board.

This is another card Trompe L'Oeil painting. It has the Ace of Spades from the Bee Brand deck of cards with bumble bees.

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Sunday, March 17, 2019

Flight of the Bumble Bee~Oil Painting by K Henderson

Flight of the Bumble Bee, 12 x 12. oil on cradled board

Yes, I know these are Honey Bees and not Bumble Bees but I like the title. And it fits in my my current Flight Themed paintings.

My favorite playing cards are the Jokers because they are so varied and this one with the bee is one of my favorites. 

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Saturday, March 16, 2019

Air Mail~Oil Painting by K Henderson

Air Mail, 24 x 20, oil on cradled board

This is another painting in my Flight series. I have a fondness for well played with vintage toys. This airplane has almost all of the paint worn off as well as a missing propeller.

The Trompe L'Oeil painting also has a torn pulp magazine cover, an airmail letter dated 1946, and airmail stamps.

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Friday, March 15, 2019

Martini~Oil Painting by K Henderson



Martini, oil on cradled board, 24 x 18

I've painted cocktail glasses several times in my still lifes but this is the first time I've actually painted a cocktail. And it won't be the last.

I love painting the light on the glass and liquid. Most of all I like the way the olives are distorted when viewed though the glass
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Wish You Were Here~Oil Painting by K Henderson

Wish You Were Here, 14 x 11, oil on board

This Trompe L'oeil painting is all about 'Having a wonderful Time, wish you were here'.
A hula girl, postcard of a tropical beach, a candy palm tree and a cookie airplane all sum up that summer holiday. 

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Thursday, March 14, 2019

The Faces We Wear,~Oil Painting by K Henderson

The Faces We Wear, 24 x 18, oil on cradled board

I got a vintage Pinocchio paper doll earlier this year and fell in love with the Long Nose Mask. I've been waiting for the opportunity to build a painting around it. Then when I found an Edwardian Era paper mask, the trompe l'oeil still life came together.

Also included in the still life is a Joker with a mask, a wooden Block (M is for mask), and a cover from Black Mask pulp magazine. The magazine also has a bottle of poison on it (covered by the ribbon)so I added a bottle to the mix. The ribbon? I just liked it and wanted to paint it.




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Wednesday, March 13, 2019

Licorice Allsorts~Oil Painting by K Henderson

Licorice Allsorts, 18 x 24, oil on cradled board


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Tuesday, March 12, 2019

Red and Green~Oil Painting by K Henderson

 Red and Green, 30 x 40, oil on linen

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Monday, March 11, 2019

Tin Rabbit~Oil Painting by K Henderson

 Tin Rabbit, 24 x 36, oil on linen
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Sunday, March 10, 2019

One Fish Two Fish~Oil Painting by K Henderson

One Fish Two Fish, 30 x 36, oil on linen

This painting of black and white striped fabric, red glass and glass fish is complete.

The title is , of course, from Dr. Suess' One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish
 
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Double Sealed~Oil Painting by K Henderson

 
Double Sealed, 24 x 12, oil on cradled board

I was interested in this composition because of the contrasts in the painting: the light and the dark, the shiny metallic seal and the flat surface of the wooden seal. One seal in confined in the box and the other is free with the floating ball.

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Saturday, March 9, 2019

Old Crow~Oil Painting by K Henderson


Old Crow,oil on cradled board, 9 x 12

I love my collection of vintage toys. This crow is one of my favorites

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Friday, March 8, 2019

Reflections in Red~Oil Painting by K Henderson

Reflections in Red , 24 x 24, oil on canvas

I enjoyed the challenge of painting the stripes and the reflections in the red glass

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Thursday, March 7, 2019

Music Box~Oil Painting by K Henderson

Music Box, 8 x 10, oil on board

This is a vintage red, tin, windup toy bird in a cigar box.

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Wednesday, March 6, 2019

Tuesday, March 5, 2019

Marbles and Ball Jar~Oil Painting by K Henderson


Marbles and Ball Jar is oil on board, 9" x 12"

I started this painting earlier this year and set it aside to paint some larger pieces.
One decision I had to make when painting this was "Should I paint everything in sharp focus or blur the edges of the outer marbles?" In the end, I decided to keep everything sharp.

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Monday, March 4, 2019

Forever Brave~Oil Painting by K Henderson


Forever Brave, 12 x 9, oil on board

This little guy is one of my favorite vintage  ceramic figures . He's a little warrior with a tomahawk.
He is standing in front of a wool blanket. Can you tell that I love the color Red?

As I've said before, I love painting the different textures. The roughness of the wool, the shiny hardest of the ceramic and the satin reflections on the table all come together to make a nice contrast




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Sunday, March 3, 2019

Red Globe II~Oil Painting by K Henderson



Red Globe II, oil on linen, 30 x 30

Stripes and silver and red: My favorites!  The still life had a brass goblet in it but I decided not to paint it. The gold reflections still remain in the bowl adding additional color and design.



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Saturday, March 2, 2019

Strawberry Reflections~Oil Painting by K Henderson



Strawberry Reflections, 30 x 30, oil on linen



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Friday, March 1, 2019

Black Cat~Oil Painting by K Henderson


Black Cat, 36 x 36, oil on linen ©K. Henderson


I really enjoyed painting the dog. He is a lead dog with black paint. The paint had fallen off in many places. The challenge was painting a series of little abstract shapes to create the whole image.




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Thursday, February 28, 2019

Gumballs and Peanuts~Oil Painting by K Henderson


Gumballs and Peanuts is 18" x 24" oil on canvas.

This is one of my most brightly colored and most ambitious paintings. I love the bright pink gumballs and the texture in the peanut shells.


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