Kirkos by Andrew Henderson

Artist Statement: Kirkos

The Greek word kirkos meant circle, but the word goes back even further to the Proto-Indo-European word kirk, which meant "to bend." The noun refers to that round shape, while the verb form means to move around or surround something.

The paintings in this show lean heavily into kirkos. Round shapes abound and we circle in on items that provide interest. The platters, plates and bowls that frame the still-life elements come from family or reflect heritage. The objects protected within follow that same origin.

Biography: Andrew Henderson

Andrew Henderson was born in Fredericton, New Brunswick in 1957. He had an early interest in art. As a teenager Andrew had a bout with rheumatic fever. During the months of isolation that followed the seeds were planted for what would become a life long passion. Gifts of paper, markers, and paints provided the physical tools to let his imagination soar.

He later received his formal artistic training at Mount Allison University in Sackville, New Brunswick.

The subjects of Henderson’s paintings are ordinary, a kitchen chair, a child’s castaway shoes, stainless steel cookie tins, and fragile glass decorations of Christmas past. Often these things are broken, mere fragments, shards of what they once were. In them Henderson sees a reservoir of beauty that remains intact, despite the passage of time and neglect.

Preserves also continue to be an interest. The beauty of red currant jelly, the way the sweetness of a summer harvest can be saved and enjoyed in the midst of a harsh winter day. The idea that we try to preserve other things that are important to us has led Henderson to new images of more personal “preserves”.

Henderson’s ability to capture the memories of place are evident in his landscapes of personal importance, whether New Brunswick or Prince Edward Island.

Andrew Henderson resides in Charlottetown with his wife Sylvia.