We had a chat with artist and painter, Christopher Henderson, to talk about his full, and creative life, one shaped by time in the studio, yoga, good food, and a deep pull towards making art.
In our conversation, he reflects on growing up in the freedom of country Victoria, the role art has played in shaping his sense of self, and the unexpected ways creativity brings him into flow. From life drawing classes to long days in the studio, Chris offers an honest and grounded perspective on making art, meaning, and finding beauty and struggle in the same breath.
— 7 minute read
Carly Tomadin: I’m excited to learn more about you and your art practice Chris, thanks so much for being here. To start us off, can you tell me a bit about what life looks like for you at the moment?
Christopher Henderson: Great to be here! My life is kind of perfect right now. I have a good balance of yoga practice, cooking good food, spending a lot of time in the studio, and gardening at home. I’m running a life drawing class with my friend Brooke, and also working on some side projects like mural-based creative outlets. It’s probably work-heavy, but there are still creative elements to it, so it doesn’t feel like I have to wear too many different hats. I kinda have a looot going on, but I really kind of enjoy being busy…I'm in the feast of the feast/famine cycle.
Carly Tomadin: Sounds like life is very full, and balanced too. I can hear that you’re feasting! When and where does your life drawing class take place?
Christopher Henderson: The life drawing class is called Loosends Life Drawing. It’s in a beautiful old building in Fitzroy North called Hotel House :-). It’s a two-hour class that happens fortnightly, every second Thursday. It’s a really playful class that aims to shake us out of our head-thinking and into body-making. It can be really silly and there’s always some laughter, kinda random for a life drawing class, but that’s because we come at it from a big, playful angle.
Carly Tomadin: That sounds enticing, and like such a good way to get out of the head and into creative expression and connection. Where did you grow up, and what was that environment like for you as a young person?
Christopher Henderson: I grew up on a small hobby farm in north-east Victoria called Eldorado...Kelly country haha. In my early years, I loved it so much. I mean, I didn’t know anything else at the time, but even if I did, I would have wanted to be there. It was full of freedom and adventure. I was often exploring the surrounding hills and waterholes with my brother. We had a small farm, so we were always making and fixing things too.
My later teen years were hard. I didn’t really feel like I fit in and I felt misunderstood a lot. I think because I wasn’t into the normal country things like football and cricket. That kinda pushed me into a “fuck it” mentality and I got really into riding BMX haha.
Carly Tomadin: What a place to grow up...it sounds like you had lots of space to explore (perfect for a kid’s mind). I can imagine it must have been challenging not fitting into the status quo… teenage years can be brutal in that way. When did you first realise that painting was a way for you to understand or process the world?
Christopher Henderson: Hmm, well I was always drawing and painting. Being a hyperactive young person, my parents and grandparents would always set me up with puzzles and things to draw, it kept me busy. Making art was kind of the first time I felt proud or had a sense of self-worth, especially through primary school.
Carly Tomadin: I can hear that the art you made back then really supported your sense of self, especially in how others responded to it. I'd love to hear more about when and how art became a way for you to process things.
Christopher Henderson: I feel like my life had a big transition period when I tore my ACL and my knee. Things got pretty dark. Going from riding BMX every day to not being able to do anything physical, after a while I remembered how much I loved painting and drawing. From then on, I’ve been obsessed.
I think the time alone making art is really good for my brain. I get to be fully in my thoughts and explore without interruption.
I don’t really think of making art as a way of processing things, but it most definitely happens during the process of making. Like, I don’t go to the studio because I’m stressed or struggling, and to be honest, sometimes the studio can cause stress and struggle lol. But the process of making does calm my brain, and that mostly comes from being in flow. That shit is crack.
Carly Tomadin: Mm that sounds like it was a really intense time. And I appreciate that distinction — the creative flow gives you space to be fully with yourself, and as a by-product it settles things. Sounds like a great form of medicine to me.
Your bio talks about the tension between interior and exterior worlds. What does that tension feel like for you?
Christopher Henderson: Hmm, it changes, as do my moods, like the weather outside. But the way I see it, the world is a really beautiful place. I see beauty in life, nature, and everyday things. I approach the world with curiosity, that’s my exterior world.
My interior world…I wouldn’t say it’s straight-up dark, but the world for a lot of people is a struggle, and I really empathise with that. I’m weirdly attracted to the hardship people go through, possibly because my younger self felt a version of that.
It’s kinda hard to explain, but I see beauty and struggle in the same moment. Different perspectives of the same thing tell completely different stories. I want to know all the stories…does that make sense?
Carly Tomadin: That makes perfect sense, and is such an honest experience of reality. Beauty and struggle existing together, like two sides of the same coin. I think perspective plays such a big role in well-being. Do your paintings start with a feeling, an image, or something harder to describe?
Christopher Henderson: I think all of the above. I don’t really have a system. It’s different almost every time I make a work or a body of work. For a long time, I thought that there was something wrong with me, and it had a negative effect on my practice.
But recently I’ve switched up hard and now I don’t give a fuck about that. I love that it’s different, now I’m excited every time. I often think I’m going to make a work about something, and as I start exploring, it shifts a few times before I settle on a direction :-)
Carly Tomadin: I love hearing that you don’t need to decide what something is going to be before it’s created. Sounds like there’s a lot of freedom in that. You've mentioned that your work is shaped by a neurodivergent lens. In what ways does that influence how you see or interpret the world?
Christopher Henderson: Well, in all aspects I guess. Being in the art world, it kinda feels like everyone’s shaped by a similar lens haha, we’re all somewhere on that spectrum!
I kind of see it like I fell through the schooling system into the arts. I didn’t know I was dyslexic or “neuro spicy” growing up, so I just thought I was a dumb troublemaker who didn’t want to ask for help… turns out I was destined to be an artist!!
To be honest, it’s my superpower. I love getting obsessed with things, and the alone time is so good for calming my mind.
Carly Tomadin: You’re an artist down to your bones. It really is a superpower, just being ourselves. And I agree, we’re all somewhere on the spectrum! Are there recurring figures or motifs in your work that carry particular meaning for you?
Christopher Henderson: Exactly! To be honest, I don’t even like the term “neurodivergent” — like, divergent from what? Anyway, I still use it lol.
Hmm, not at the moment. In the past, I often painted a country cowboy/bushranger-type guy. I think it was my way of figuring out my identity as someone from the country, and how that shaped me...mixed with my imagination of Ned Kelly stories and that feeling of oppression Irish people experienced in rural Victoria.
Nowadays, I’m exploring youth crime and building a body of work around the Holden Commodore. So that’s a special interest at the moment.
Carly Tomadin: I’m excited to see your body of work around the cult-classic Commodore. What does a good day in the studio look like for you Chris?
Christopher Henderson: No meltdowns haha!!
The best day starts with yoga and eggs for breakky, then straight to the studio. I love having a little deadline breathing down my back to kick me into gear, otherwise I can get lost in all the possibilities.
If I have a good direction for the day, I can play alongside the boring stuff like emails and stretching canvas. You know you’re having a good day when you start feeling hungry and realise it’s late afternoon and you completely missed lunch because you were in flow.
Carly Tomadin: Haha I love that. Deadlines really do help create structure when you work for yourself. Second last question… what’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given, and do you actually follow it?
Christopher Henderson: I think my favourite is: “Make art badly.” I often forget to do it, but every time I’m having a bad day in the studio and I remember that quote, I pull out some paper and actively try to make bad work.
In those moments, your brain switches from judgement to curiosity, and somehow you slip back into flow again.
Also, my partner taught me this phrase: “I’m so lucky and everything works out for me.” I say it all the time.
Carly Tomadin: That’s such a good way to take the pressure off, stress really is the fastest way out of flow. And I love that affirmation from your partner. Last question, what’s on the horizon for Chris Henderson?
Christopher Henderson: Year of the fire horse! Lots of nature, good food, yoga, friends, and so much making and painting. I have a solo show on the 23rd of July at No Vacancy Gallery in the city. Plus a bunch of mural and painting projects in the works :-)
Carly Tomadin: Sounds like you're already off to a great start with plenty of goodness in the works. Looking forward to seeing your solo show at No Vacancy, that’s exciting.
Thank you so much for your time today Chris. It’s been such a treat learning more about you, your creative process, and your mindset. 🙌
Christopher Henderson: So welcome. Thank you!!!