“Every artist writes his own autobiography.“~ Havelock Ellis
A Heart Beats Within — From Study to Meaning
A Heart Beats Within — mixed media and gouache on paper, 5 × 7 in., 2025.
“I paint with my back to the world.”
— Agnes Martin
A Heart Beats Within began as two bookmarks — a small experiment in hot and cold colors and the discipline of straight lines. Over time, they grew into a single image, a kind of reunion — part study, part meditation.
What began as practice became a reflection on structure and color — a quiet commentary on the merging of the mechanical and the self.
I’m a Minneapolis-based artist working in watercolor, gouache, oil, drawing, and mixed media.
After teaching art and design for many years, I returned to making art fully. These days, I spend my time drawing, painting, experimenting, and paying attention to what shows up.
I often work small. My work moves between observation, memory, and imagination. Some pieces lean surreal. Some stay close to what is seen. What interests me is what begins to emerge when I stay with the work long enough.
On my blog, you’ll find both my artwork and my reflections. I’ve come to see they are connected. What I learn in the studio often changes how I see my life, my relationships, and my community. In that way, art has become more than making objects — it has become a way of understanding and being in the world.
View all posts by Bill Hendricks -- Shadowmason
