Traditional? Abstract? Artist Bud Hensgen Takes It All On

One of Bud Hensgen's traditional landscapes

Ever wondered what makes an artist want to make art? And what makes them take on a new media in a completely different style mid-career?

Like many artists, Gallery Underground member Bud Hensgen has never been far away from art."I was always the kid in class who could draw," says Hensgen. "Even when I went into the Foreign Service, I took my paints with me."  After his 30-year Foreign Service career came to a close, he began painting even more, taking a class from Jane McElvany Coonce through adult education [Coonce is also a gallery member].

In this class, Hensgen began doing traditional landscapes in oil, which he enjoyed then and still enjoys. He began entering shows and displaying work at venues, making a name for himself as a skilled traditional landscape painter.


To grow as an artist, Hensgen began taking additional classes at the Torpedo Factory through the Art League in Alexandria, VA, studying with well-known abstract artist Joyce McCartin - this time in acrylic. "This," says Hensgen, "was a very different painting experience. There is a spirit of play with abstracts; you go into it with no expectations, and play with the medium." Many traditional painters find when they begin painting abstracts that they have suddenly lost the "safety net" of a photo or object they are basing their painting on - despite this, Hensgen was energized. "You immediately get into a dialogue with the painting; the panorama is so wide when you're not in a dialogue with a "thing" - and only in a dialogue with the canvas," he says

Acrylic abstract by Bud Hensgen

This experience encouraged Hensgen to look at other artists' abstract paintings, in museums and in books. "Your horizon really expands when you look at famous abstracts; you learn an appreciation for their work."

Honing his abstract skills with additional classes, Hensgen has now become known for his large-scale abstracts. Hensgen feels that with abstract painting, there is more ego involved. "I find that abstracts are much more personal than traditional works; there is more 'you' in an abstract." Artists who have done both types of paintings will no doubt agree; although many painters will "abstract" a traditional still-life or scene - or use something as a jumping-off point - there is much more of the artist's imagination involved in a pure abstract painting.  What Hensgen really enjoys about abstract is the idea of "color as color; form as form; two forms speaking to each other."

Many abstract artists work in series; it can be scary when the series is finished. "When you work on an abstract series and then finish it, you have to get a new inspiration," Hensgen says. "You are walking a bit in the desert." He will, like many artists, continue to work in both mediums, enjoying the journey of working in two very opposing disciplines.

Hensgen returning to his roots, working on a
traditional landscape in the gallery

                                                                            --Sandi Parker, Gallery Underground Co-Director