Dani Henke

In second grade, I saw my work in print. My neon pink Play-Doh Hadrosaur beat the Triceratops and T-rexes of my classmates in a sculpture contest, and my creation was captured in grainy black and white for the local paper. I was hooked, on dinosaurs and art class.

The passion to become a paleontologist faded somewhere in the fourth grade when I discovered roller skating rinks, Madonna, and Judy Blume. But, art, sculpture in particular, has rooted itself into all that I do.

Sustainability is a real focus. I am constantly seeking out methods and materials that fit my studio limitations and carbon footprint concerns. The bulk of my work is based in representational mixed media sculpture, melding found objects with my sculpted ceramic. Coming from the American Midwest where barns are full of gadgets and gizmos aplenty, transforming "junk" is a common pastime, and something I love drawing on. Since that glorious day way back in second grade, I’ve fine-tuned combining the constructed and the came-upon while allowing personal relationships, social issues, environmental concerns, and humour to transform materials into visual narratives.

My work can be playfully macabre and I delight in the fact that I get to create it.

I live with my partner in Tuamarina in a house full of books and art.