ARTIST STATEMENT

I long for the Vast Beautiful Landscape—It is the vista of what’s possible within us too.

The illuminating dance of light on crystal waters. A fresh brushstroke evoking the movement of sky.

These are my paintings: exhortations to spaces within and without us. Sharing my humanity and awe in the face of Nature.

My evolving expression continuously refreshes my understandings of essential forms. This, in turn, supports what enlivens me: Luminescence and its magical effects on the land and the water.

PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES

Artist-in-Residency, Chateau d’Orquevaux, France. Permanent Collection, Santa Fe City Hall, NM
Juror and Curator, Historic Santa Fe Watercolor Exhibition, Historic Santa Fe Foundation
Watercolor Instructor, Valdes Art Studios, Santa Fe, NM
Map Designer, The Lion’s Gate by Steven Pressfield, The Penguin Group
Watercolor Instructor at El Castillo Retirement Residences, Santa Fe
Personal Expression through Watercolor Instructor, Santa Fe Community College
Watercolor Workshop Instructor, Vaison-la-Romaine, Provence, France
Monotype Workshop Instructor, Hawaii Preparatory Academy, Kamuela, HI
Book Cover Artist, Harrmun’s Hurrah and Harrmun’s Way, and The Irish Brahmin
Featured Artist, Santa Fe Names & Numbers phone book
Featured Artist, Koi/USA
Featured Artist, Santa Fean Magazine
Featured Artist, The New Mexican Pasatiempo
Featured Artist, A Parisian Soirée, Desert Academy Benefit
Signature Member of New Mexico Watercolor Society
Partner in Education PIE Grant recipient
Helene Wurlitzer Foundation of Taos Fellowship/Artist-in-Residency

EDUCATION

Bachelor of Arts, French & Art, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff
Premier & Deuxième degrés, French, l’Université de Grenoble, France
International Master of Business Administration,
Thunderbird School of Global Management, Glendale, AZ

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION

Christy Henspetter is an accomplished artist and art teacher for over 30 years, hosting painting workshops in Santa Fe, Hawaii and France.

Nature, Water and France are recurrent themes in her artwork.

She was awarded a prestigious Helen Wurlitzer Fellowship as well as the Santa Fe Partners in Education Grant for her mastery of watercolor and oil painting, and she is a Signature member of the New Mexico Watercolor Society. In 2018 she was awarded an artist residency at the Château Orquevaux, east of Paris. As a result of her expertise, she has been called upon to jury and curate a host of exhibitions.

Henspetter is currently represented by the Gallery of Great Things in Hawaii., but has shown work in galleries and museums across the country. Christy's inspired works have been shown in numerous solo exhibitions, have been featured on book covers, in books and magazines and can be found in collections around the globe, including the Council Chambers of Santa Fe City Hall. Her passion for painting—seeking to express the crystallization of light with a uniqueness of color—is evident in her diverse body of work. 

RESUME

SELECTED EXHIBITIONS

The Generosity of Light, Solo Show, Convergence Gallery, Santa Fe 2024 In a Dream, Solo Show Convergence Gallery, Santa Fe 2022. The Stillness of Light, Solo Show Convergence Gallery, Santa Fe 2021 Quo Vadis Exhibition, Van Der Plas Gallery New York, NY 2020 Between Life and the Dream, Solo Show, Convergence Gallery, Santa Fe, NM 2018 A Journey, Solo Show, Convergence, Santa Fe, NM 2018
Waters over Earth, Solo Show, Convergence Gallery, Santa Fe, NM 2014
Artistic Escapes, New Mexico Cancer Center, Albuquerque, NM 2013
Luminosity, Solo Show, Convergence Gallery, Santa Fe, NM 2012
Santa Fe Artists Emergency Fund Invitational, Ventana Gallery Santa Fe, NM 2011 Artists Emergency Fund Invitational Fundraising Show, Riva Yares Gallery, Santa Fe, NM 2010
Signature Members Exhibition of New Mexico Watercolor Society, Expo New Mexico, Albuquerque 2009
Beyond Expectations and Passages Convergence Gallery, Santa Fe, NM
At Water’s Edge, Pu’u Opelu Gallery at Parker Ranch, Kamuela, HI The Way I See I, Solo Show, La Galeria Arriba, Abiquiu, NM
An Evening in Provence, Merrimans, Kamuela, HI
Pacific, Solo Show, Merrimans, Kamuela, HI
Contemporary Still Life Invitational, Wiford-Vogt Fine Art, Santa Fe, NM
MasterWorks of New Mexico, Spring Art Show, Albuquerque, NM
Texas and Neighbors Regional Art Competition, Irving Art Association of Texas, Irving, TX 2002
Paradise, Two-person Show, La Galeria Arriba, Abiquiu, NM
Southwest Summer, Solo Show, Santa Fe Jet Center, Santa Fe, NM
10th Annual Geijutsu Sai Art Festival, Japanese Garden Society of Oregon, Portland, OR 2002
WaterMedia 2001, Branigan Fine Arts Museum, Las Cruces, NM
New Mexico Watercolor Society Signature Members Show, Palace of the Governors Museum, Santa Fe, NM
Recent Work, Roy’s of Hawaii, Waikoloa, HI
Red Hot, Santa Fe Community College, Santa Fe, NM
A Show with Heart, Joyce Robins Gallery, Santa Fe, NM
Fish and Flowers, Gallery of Great Things, Kamuela, HI
Portals & Patios, ACT I Gallery, Taos, NM
Old Mexico/New Mexico, Solo Show, Matsumoto Gallery, Sanibel Island, FL
Biennial Arts Exhibition, Fuller Lodge Art Center, Los Alamos, NM
Artists Benefit & Auction, The Munson Gallery, Santa Fe, NM
Primavera Painting Exhibition, NMWS, Albuquerque, NM
Qué Pasa? Art in New Mexico, Fuller Lodge Art Center, Los Alamos, NM
Monothon 8, College of Santa Fe, Santa Fe, NM
Animals of the Galapagos, Solo Show, Tybie Satin Gallery, Santa Fe, NM

REPRESENTATION

Gallery of Great Things, Kamuela, HI
Interiors by Claire West, Los Angeles, CA