Doodling since she was a little girl, Jaime Lynn Henderson’s scribbles have turned into expressive, colorful and unique artwork. This artist is leaving her mark in the art world and following her dreams in Chicago.
After obtaining her fine arts degree from the University of Oklahoma, Henderson, who calls Lawton home, applied to several graduate programs and was accepted to the School of the Art Institute in Chicago. She knew the big city could offer her many opportunities to show her artwork.
“I wanted to take a big leap of faith after undergrad,” she recalls. “When I moved to Chicago in the summer of 2007 I didn’t know a soul. It was a really difficult transition at first.”
Henderson is currently working along with five other artists at The Merchandise Mart, the world’s largest commercial building and wholesale design center in Chicago.
“It was given to us for a year to make original artwork in a building that traditionally sells mechanically produced home items,” she says. “We have access to people who might not walk into a gallery.”
Occasionally, her artwork will feature biblical references, but she says there is a big difference between being a Christian who is an artist and a Christian artist. She adds that she’s trying not to narrowly define her artwork.
“I certainly don’t mind the identification (of being a Christian artist), but I personally try to avoid such specific descriptions of myself only because it limits what I feel I can make in my work,” she responds.
“It also limits how people look at my work. I’m definitely a Christian and it is a huge part of my life, but I’m also an artist. I try not to define myself in that way. I’m just free to express whatever I want in my work.”
Henderson was featured on Bravo’s inaugural season of the reality TV series, Work of Art: The Next Great Artist, which aired in the summer of 2010. In each episode, contestants were faced with the challenge of creating unique pieces in a variety of mediums such as painting, sculpture, photography, collage and industrial design. The show was an adventure for Henderson, who was eliminated during episode five.
“It was incredible,” she recalls. “It was infinitely more challenging and fun than I thought it would be. It was very challenging for me because I’ve never forced myself to work that quickly.”
Henderson says her experience on the show did change her in more ways than one. She now can challenge herself to get more work done in a shorter period of time and her perspective about her art has changed.
“Being on the show somehow made me want to be more playful with my work,” she explains. “It kind of made me take a step back and not take myself so seriously.”
With a goal to support herself solely on her artistic talents, Henderson says she will continue to look for ways to express herself creatively and pursue a life filled with art.
To view Henderson’s artwork visit www.jaimelynnhenderson.com.
