Tony Henson with 'In My Tree'
Tony Henson’s painting, “In My Tree,” was recently shown on a billboard in Times Square in New York City. Visual Art Journal sponsored the billboard. An estimated 400,000 people saw the billboard.
Henson describes his art stye as abstract expressionism, an art style that began after World War II. He is currently doing a series of trees in this style. One of his paintings in this series is titled “In My Tree” from a Pearl Jam song and was chosen for the billboard.
In addition, Henson’s work has been on exhibit five times in various New York City galleries. His work has also been on display in galleries in Washington, D.C., Atlanta and Charlotte. The Washington Post published a picture of one of his paintings.
Henson had a difficult childhood and often turned to art to cope with unpleasant situations. During his senior year, he chose to live on his own in an available trailer. He had learned to work hard on a farm, working in tobacco from ages 9 to 17. During his senior year of high school, he worked 30 hours a week at Fred’s, a local store.
When he graduated in 1991, he chose to go into the workforce rather than going to college. He spent two years in the construction business, but the dream of studying art never left him.
His dream came to fruition when he enrolled in Western Kentucky University and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in studio art in May 1998. Encouraged by one of his professors to work toward an advanced degree in art, he enrolled in East Tennessee State University, where he earned a master’s degree in painting in 2000. Henson has also earned a M.Ed. from Milligan University.
Upon graduation, he accepted a position teaching drawing classes at Watkins College of Art and Design in Nashville for two years, while living in Goodlettsville. His career includes teaching at Austin Peay University and Western Kentucky University. He later moved to Bristol, Virginia, where he taught at Virginia Highlands Community College and Virginia Intermont College. He teaches Adult Education at Northeast State Community College and is an adjunct professor at King University.
In describing his artistic talent, Henson said, “Gift from God that whether it be music, art or sports, He gives you gifts, but that is only going to get you so far. You have to have the determination and be persistent to be able to do anything beyond that.”
