Biography

Henry was born and raised on a dairy farm in Chenango County, a very rural and beautiful part of upstate New York. Except for time spent away in college, graduate school and a stint in the Peace Corps, he has lived in the same area all his life. He has been painting since he was nine years old and is essentially self-taught, though he learned about primary colors from his 4th grade teacher, took a studio art class for non-art majors while at Cornell in 1969 and audited a couple classes at Munson-Williams Proctor Institute in 1976. He set up a studio in Norwich, NY in 1977, which became known as "Matai House" after his marriage in 1978. He now lives in Guilford, NY where he has built a house and studio with acres of perennial gardens all of his own design. In addition to painting, he is a grandfather, photographer, local historian and founding member of the Chenango County Council of the Arts.