Space and dimension are two elements that Silke Henkel Wallace feels are important to her richly rendered oils, be it the dripping, painterly portraits of fruit or the moody and evocative images of farm animals inspired by her rural upbringing in Northern Germany.
“I’ve always been interested in the idea of creating three dimensional objects on a two dimensional surface,” says Henkel Wallace. “And, with these paintings I also like the large format and enjoy having the space to move paint around on the canvas. My painting is based on an aesthetic approach that combines elements of representational painting with more graphic material that gives a sense of presence to the actual materials being used.”
Henkel Wallace is in love with the idea of paint. To her, throwing paint around and making marks on the canvas is an essential part of the painting process. That is also why she incorporates handwriting in some of the painting and shows the drips of paint on many of her works. “I’ve always been told that you need to let the paint go on its own,” says Henkel Wallace. “You mix the paint but then you follow the brush and just go with the material.”
Born in Hanover, Germany, Henkel Wallace moved to the United States in 1989. Dealing with the recent death of her mother has inspired her recent paintings in that she is using them to reacquaint herself with the rural lifestyle that she left behind. New paintings feature impressionistic portraits of farm animals that come from recurring images of her childhood. “My painting is deeply influenced by my German roots and my upbringing in Germany, both of which are profoundly connected to the land: the woods, the fields, the animals and the seasons,” says Henkel Wallace. “A year ago I started to work on a series of paintings that reflect core elements of this culture and its everyday rituals, primarily those concerning food.” And, even more recently, Henkel Wallace has been returning to Germany and interviewing older women about these same subject and then using their stories to create her own narratives in paint.
“My search for the origins of these rituals led me back to Germany to interview older women about their memories, to explore the connection between food and culture and to rescue lost recipes and traditions,” says Henkel Wallace. “Just as I felt emptiness at not having a connection to my past, they had felt fulfillment upon passing their stories on to the future. It became clear to me that this intergenerational continuity is a basic human need.”
Both the animal and fruit paintings come out of this search for a connection to the land; more importantly, to the rural, farm life that she experienced in Germany as a child. For Henkel Wallace, this search is both a universal and personal concern, dealing with issues that all people, some time during their life, experience.
“This is important both in the microcosm of each individual’s life and in the larger context,” say s Henkel Wallace. “These paintings deal with universal values such as identity, ritual, memory, shame, forgiveness and gratitude. It speaks to the history of every immigrant and of any culture that has undergone deep trauma.” |
