Hauntingly Beautiful Art – Barry Hendrickson’s Monastery

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What do you get when you mix:
a love of black & white photography,
Barry’s expertise and skills as a darkroom printer
and a love of the old monster films?

A hauntingly, beautiful piece of art!

 

Barry Hendrickson's Monastery, © Hendrickson Fine Art Photo

Monastery, © Hendrickson Fine Art Photo

Barry Hendrickson’s Monastery


The influences from Barry’s childhood where he loved spending Saturday afternoons watch the old black and white films from the 1930s like:  Dracula, the Wolf Man and Frankenstein. In these monster movies, light and shadows are so important when rendered in black and white!  And I totally can see those influences in Barry’s photos, especially this one. How he loved the drama, the history, of this ancient monastic site of Glendalough. He had so much fun photographing here, and then bringing his vision, this fine art print to life.

Flashbacks from the old favorites movies:

The Wolf Man – 1942

The Bride of Frankenstein – 1935

 

Shown at top: “Monastery” County Wicklow, Ireland by Barry Hendrickson
© Hendrickson Fine Art Photography
Available in three sizes >
Limited edition, custom printed fine art photos starting at $82

 

 

Claddagh by Barry Hendrickson photo

Claddagh, an Irish Icon

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“Claddagh” County Galway, Ireland by Barry Hendrickson, 10×20”
Limited edition fine art photograph $135 | © Hendrickson Fine Art Photography

Claddagh

County Galway, Ireland

Barry Thomas Hendrickson, © Hendrickson Fine Art Photography

 

I learned about the Claddagh ring from my mother. It is a long lasting Irish symbol of love and faithfulness. The heart stands for love, the hands for friendship and the crown for loyalty.  My mother gave a Claddagh ring to each of her three daughters. So, I happily received my own Claddagh ring a few decades ago. I later learned that the ring is often used as a wedding ring, and how it is worn has meaning too. If the heart points inwards, you are spoken for, or when the heart is points away are open to a new love.

 

While Barry and I were visiting Galway City, we stumbled across this carving of the Claddagh. I just loved this stone representation of the ring I knew about for so long. Of course, Barry had to photograph it.

 

An interesting fact we learned was The Claddagh was not just a ring, but a place, too. Formerly, the Claddagh was an old fishing village, situated across the river and lying outside the old city walls of Galway.  Many stories about the Claddagh ring, going back centuries start from this place. Just adding more interest to this layered Irish symbol.

 

Claddagh fishing village

This old plate glass negative of the Claddagh village was taken between 1865 and 1910. Currently, the Claddagh is a suburb of Galway City, so nothing remains of these old thatched homes. If you love these old Ireland photos like I do, you can find more at the National Library of Ireland catalogue. >

 

The Claddagh (shown at top) — Barry’s black and white photographic rendering of this long-standing Irish symbol is a favorite, loved by family, friends and collectors.

With the three symbols of love, friendship and loyalty, the Claddagh fine art print makes a great wedding present or any time gift, really!

Purchase your own Claddagh in our on-line store. >

Hendrickson Fine Art photo of Glendalough monastery

A mystical and moving Irish monastery

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Visiting and photographing Glendalough – with it’s amazing ancient buildings, and centuries old cemetery was a real thrill.

It was a rainy day in Wicklow, when Barry and I decided to tour the Glendalough monastic site. The rain that day ended up being a great thing because the medieval grounds were empty. We had the place to our selves.  And trust me — that was a gift  — as this place is usually crawling with tourists.

We got to meander through scenic paths in the Wicklow Mountains. We gazed upon a hundred foot tall roundstone tower and went along trails through the graveyard. The graveyard was fascinating… so many beautiful and tall stones steeped over at odd angles, and many markers with worn away lettering, some as old as the 12th century. There were Celtic crosses to be discovered and Medieval buildings to enter, including St Kevin’s Kitchen- an early Irish church with a round tower and steep pitched roof. What a way to really feel the history of the place. 

Barry went to work, photographing stones, markers, the scenery, the mist and atmosphere of the place. Everything!  The rain made the tombstones shimmer… and the mist hung in the valley. We were enthralled!  It really was truly mystical and a moving day.

 

Monastery, Co Wicklow, Ireland @Hendrickson Fine Art Photo

Monastery, Co Wicklow, Ireland

Barry’s eye for composition, and the path drawn you into this magical place.
His attention to detail and the drama all brings this scene to life. This has made
this image one of our collectors favorites! 

View and Buy the Monastery photo

Monastery, Co Wicklow, © Hendrickson Fine Art Photography 
Archival black and white fine art photos available in three sizes. 


Glendalough Monastery is in the Wicklow National Park is in the Wicklow Mountains, approximately 50 km south from Dublin. 

More photos from the gorgeous Wicklow Mountains in Ireland:

Glendalough photo of Irish landscape

Glendalough, Co Wicklow, Ireland

Glendalough Lake >

Ruins in the Valley, Co Wicklow, Ireland

Ruins in the Valley >

 

Nine Artists in Conversation gallery show

Gallery show with nine of my artist friends

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Nine Artists in Conversation –  July 8 – August 31, 2023


Gallery Reception is Saturday,  July 29 from 6 – 8 pm

I am fortunate to have found a group of diverse artists who meet every other month to share our art. Our artist group (known as ‘The Pod’) has been organized by Deborah Foutch – an artist mentor.  We give feedback and support for our artworks and creative processes.  Our leader and mentor has arranged a gallery show of our artwork in the California Building in NE Minneapolis. I am excited to have a few of my Ireland in Black and White photos, along with few of my paintings and multi-media artworks. We are having an Artist Reception on July 29 with all nine of us in attendance. We hope you can make it!


Join us for our Artist Reception: Saturday, July 29 from 6-8 pm.

There will be music and refreshments and lots of art!

On2 Gallery  / 2205 California St NE, Minneapolis, MN 55418

Nine Artists in Conversation gallery show

There  are ‘Nine Artists in Conversation’ featured: 

Ron Duffy, Cindy Fuerstenberg, Debbie Boyles

Deborah Foutch, Nancy Wojack Hendrickson, John Stumme

Andrea Canter,  Shelia Nelson, Bill Cooper 

If you can’t make it to the Reception the California building is open 10 – 5 daily.  The show will be up from July 8 until August 31. Just head up to the second floor to see the show.

Port of Farewells getting matte for Gallery

Getting ready for a gallery show

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I am having some extra large prints framed for an upcoming exhibit. It’s so nice to be getting ready for a gallery show in November here in Minneapolis.  I am getting progress photos from my friend, who is also my framer. So excited to see these fine art prints large and in frames.  This image part of my latest series titled “Legacy”. Because of the pandemic there has not been any opportunities for me to show my photographs in person. So I am so grateful for this!

The Port of Farewells

Cobh, Cork Harbor, County Cork, Ireland 2020
(shown above)
Barry Thomas Hendrickson
Printed by Nancy Wojack Hendrickson
© Hendrickson Fine Art Photo
Forgotten Village Road photo getting a frame by Hendrickson Fine Art

Forgotten Village Road

Achill Island, County Mayo, Ireland  2020

Barry Thomas Hendrickson
Printed by Nancy Wojack Hendrickson

Port of Farewells photo by Hendrickson Fine Art Photo

The Port of Farewells

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This one is special to me because I am pretty sure my Irish ancestors who left Ireland  took this journey, they left from this Port. If you claim Irish descent, then there is a good chance that your ancestors also left Ireland through here during the famine years. It is a photo that speaks to my Irish ancestry.

Cobh – this seaport town (formerly Queenstown) on the south coast of Ireland was the departure point for around half of the six million Irish who emigrated to America, Canada and Australia since 1815. They sailed this very harbor, seeking dreams of a new life across the Atlantic Ocean.

The Port of Farewells

Cobh, Cork Harbor
County Cork, Ireland 2020

Barry Thomas Hendrickson
Printed by Nancy Wojack Hendrickson
Black and White Prints for sale by © Hendrickson Fine Art Photo

The Port of Farewells b-w photo framed

Nancy Wojack Hendrickson with Barry Hendrickson in frame

Meet Nancy Wojack Hendrickson

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Artist / Mother / Widow

I create black and white fine art photos and mixed media artworks with themes of love, loss, family and the legacy we leave behind.

Nancy W Hendrickson with Barry Hendrickson framed photo

I have been fortunate to have a group of women who supported me on my journey. Many of these women belong to the Athena Village. I am sharing my story in the Athena Village 30 women / 30 stories community project this month. Read about this inspiring group of women here. > 

No one is truly gone as the ripples they made in this world continue on forever.

 

It is universal …  we will all lose someone we love. And this year — the year of the pandemic — has been no exception. If anything it has amplified our losses even more. Yes, the grief and loss are left behind; but also so are the gifts our loved ones leave behind. The lessons learned that will never leave you. The memories and the love that will linger. Those gifts are what I want to focus on. 

 

In this midst of this past year, during a pandemic I was determined to get my personal passion project completed. I was going to print a set of black and white photographs of Ireland. The negatives were taken by my late husband on our last trip to Ireland. But he never got to print them. 

 

I love these black and white photos, because first they are from Barry Hendrickson, my husband. They hold great meaning to me because I’m passionate about honoring my Irish heritage, and these images relay that lifelong love of Ireland. They show the haunting beauty of Ireland with its’ rich and tragic past.  It parallels my own past with universal themes of love, loss and legacy. 

 

It’s been quite a journey…. So let’s back up a bit.

Barry Hendrickson was a handsome, energetic commercial photographer when I met him. We were together over 13 years. We ended up working side by side on a fine art photo business that was focused on Ireland — the land of our ancestors. We were married and had a daughter. She was one and a half years old when Barry was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. This lead to a tumultuous time of working, traveling and selling photos nationwide and interspersed with ailments, cancer treatments and doctors appointments. After three years and four months, Barry succumbed to cancer. 

 

Our fine art photo business selling Irish landscapes was booming, and here I was a widow with a 4 year old daughter. The “Ireland in Black & White” photography was our livelihood and main source of income. It was too difficult emotionally and physically for me alone to do all the traveling and work by myself. I knew I had to pivot and figure something new. So I looked back to my graphic design skills and became a web designer. My business of graphic and web design has sustained my daughter and I. 

 

But the images from our last trip to Ireland were never made … Barry was too sick and life too chaotic for those last three years. These images, those pieces — parts of the land of our ancestors, taken by Barry had stayed with me. I wanted to get those prints brought to life. 

 

So eight years after his death, I started this passion project. I was going to print b/w images from our last trip to Ireland together. I had learned the process of black and white printing while Barry and I worked together. I love working through the black and white print process to create emotion and depth. I personally print each carbon pigment print with the utmost attention to detail and drama. It’s a gift to be able to print from Barry’s photo archives. It’s a release and joy for me. They bring my connection to my Irish heritage and Barry to life.

 

I am learning to share my widow’s journey.  At times, I find myself hiding from a monumental grief, because my sharing my story can make others uncomfortable. But I’ve found the courage to show others that my grief is part of who I am. It is just me and my story. Because this is love and what love and loss looks like.

 

Cliffs of Moher, Forgotten Village photos by Hendrickson Fine Art

 

Back to 2020, in the midst of the pandemic, I completed ten black and white prints and labeled them the ‘Legacy Series.’ It seems fitting because I am inspired by the love of my ancestral homeland. And the love for my late husband and photographer, Barry Hendrickson. These  emotive Irish landscape photographs reflect universal themes of love, loss, family and the legacy that is left behind.

 

My plans for an in-person show were canceled due to the pandemic. So I did a release of the fine art photos on my Hendrickson Fine Art Photography website. I shared this with my friends,  fans and collectors through email and social media. I received great feedback and response, and some sales as well. It was a bittersweet accomplishment.

Rest in peace ~
In loving memory of all who have gone before.
Including my dear husband, my father and all of my ancestors.

________

How can people find me:

Reach out to me. I’d love to hear if you have a moving story from someone you lost. How you continue to honor and remember them.  Perhaps you enjoy black and white photography or have an interested in Ireland. I’d love to connect>.

Legacy Series by Hendrickson Fine Art Photo

 

See the Legacy Series by Hendrickson Fine Art Photography here.> 

Or find me in the Athena Village.

The Athena Village 30|30 project is one way we can remind ourselves–and others–there is no one-size-fits-all path through life. Connection and community are ways we all can move through this uncertain, historical time with compassion, kindness, empathy, fierceness and love.

Instagram: @irelandinblackandwhite 

Facebook:  IrelandBW

Nancy Hendrickson at Phoenix art museum

Learning from Ansel Adams

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Last February (which honestly feels like a life time ago, but that’s a whole other story), I took a trip with my beloveds to Arizona —  to soak up some sun, replenish our vitamin D and experience Phoenix. While we were there, I was so excited to learn that the Phoenix Art Museum had an exhibit with Ansel Adams photography. It was titled ‘Performing the Print.’  And well, to be fair, there was also a show ‘Legends of Speed’ about race cars. This made it much easier for the males in our group to agree to a museum on a sun filled day.

 

“Twentieth-century American photographer Ansel Adams famously said that the photographic negative is like a composer’s score, and the print a performance.”  This exhibit showed examples of how Ansel made multiple images from the same negative to express his creative vision.

Ansel Adams quote about printing

 

The Ansel Adams exhibit truly rang true for me! It was all about his photographic print process. How each black and white print, made from his negatives was a technical process, but also an expressive work of art. On display were examples of one photo with two or three variations, of that same photo. It was a so fun to see this representation of how you can play with light and shadow to create depth. And by experimenting and accenting different parts of a print can can affect how the viewer sees the piece. It was really fascinating to see.

 

My work and my photographs are all about the print techniques. I spend a lot of time creating different visions of a print from the original negatives (or digital capture). It can take a bit of time and effort to work on contrast overall — the lights and darks. I make choices on where to add darkness within the print (or burning) and where to add lightness into the print as well (dodging). Then I run a series paper tests through the printer, which then need dry for a few hours, before assessing and making further changes. And I often refine and change how the photo is cropped… again these choices can enhance or detract from the print. Ultimately ending with the final master print.

 

I strive to create a lot of depth and drama, like what Barry had made in his original prints. This exhibit of Ansel Adams was great to learn and see his photographs in real life, and learn from by Ansel’s expert examples. It helped to invigorate my work, reinforce my process, and understand how it is indeed an expressive art form.

 

I will be sharing more about my photographic process and upcoming series on my social media accounts. Be sure to follow me on:

Facebook: IrelandBW

or

Instagram: @irelandinblackandwhite

“Performing the Print : Ansel Adams” exhibit will be on view until March 28, 2021 at the Phoenix Museum of Art.  See the link > 

According to their website, the museum will be reopening in October 2020.

 

Kilfenora Cross by Hendrickson Fine Art Photo

Healing Words for You

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I have been thinking about all of you. How are you doing in these unprecedented times?

 

We are able to settle down into a new routine with this “stay at home” order put in place by our Governor of Minnesota in the U.S. Some days are easier than others, but generally life is okay for now. While we are confined to home, so many others are manning the stores and the necessary businesses around town, and let’s not forget the healthcare professionals, doctors and nurses. I so appreciate all that each and every one of you are doing in these historic, pandemic times.

 

I recently read this poem, written in Ireland. It touched me, especially in these times of isolation. I found it moving, and hopeful which made me want to share it with all of you.

 

______

Lockdown

Yes there is fear.
Yes there is isolation.
Yes there is panic buying.
Yes there is sickness.
Yes there is even death.
But,
They say that in Wuhan after so many years of noise
You can hear the birds again.
They say that after just a few weeks of quiet
The sky is no longer thick with fumes
But blue and grey and clear.
They say that in the streets of Assisi
People are singing to each other
across the empty squares,
keeping their windows open
so that those who are alone
may hear the sounds of family around them.
They say that a hotel in the West of Ireland
Is offering free meals and delivery to the housebound.
Today a young woman I know
is busy spreading fliers with her number
through the neighbourhood
So that the elders may have someone to call on.
Today Churches, Synagogues, Mosques and Temples
are preparing to welcome
and shelter the homeless, the sick, the weary
All over the world people are slowing down and reflecting
All over the world people are looking at their neighbours in a new way
All over the world people are waking up to a new reality
To how big we really are.
To how little control we really have.
To what really matters.
To Love.
So we pray and we remember that
Yes there is fear.
But there does not have to be hate.
Yes there is isolation.
But there does not have to be loneliness.
Yes there is panic buying.
But there does not have to be meanness.
Yes there is sickness.
But there does not have to be disease of the soul
Yes there is even death.
But there can always be a rebirth of love.
Wake to the choices you make as to how to live now.
Today, breathe.
Listen, behind the factory noises of your panic
The birds are singing again
The sky is clearing,
Spring is coming,
And we are always encompassed by Love.
Open the windows of your soul
And though you may not be able
to touch across the empty square,
Sing.

March 13th, 2020

____

by Brother Richard Hendricks,
Capuchin Franciscan Priest-Friar living in Ireland,
Christian Meditation / Mindfulness teacher to young people.
He shared this as a post on Facebook on March 13 of this year – 2020 >.

_____

 

Let me know … how is it going?
I’d love to hear from you in the comments below.

Health and Peace to each and everyone of you!

Nancy 

 

Photo caption: Kilfenora Cross, County Clare by Hendrickson Fine Art Photography. >

 

Need a break?  Escape to Ireland for a bit,
head over here to see our Irish landscape photography. >

Glendalough irish landscape photo by Barry Hendrickson

Captivating Glendalough

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Barry and I were just a few days into our first trip into Ireland, when we drove to Wicklow County to see Glendalough. The word Glendalough in Gaelic is Gleann Dá Loch meaning Glen of the Two Lakes, which is so fitting for this serene photograph. Not too far from this beautiful lake is the home one of Ireland’s most impressive monasteries. I found this ancient site captivating.

 

“Glendalough is a remarkable place that will still your mind, inspire your heart and fill your soul.”

 

Stopping at the Visitor Centre, I truly enjoyed learning about centuries of Celtic history.  I learned ‘How The Irish Saved Civilization’ and that the monastery was founded by St. Kevin in the sixth century. We explored the grounds with its stone churches, grave stones, high crosses and a middle age round tower. I found its history and natural beauty so moving. So did Barry. He spent a lot of time photographing here. This is where he photographed the well loved “Monastery” fine art photo. See it here. >   

 

All of these sites are within the Wicklow Mountains National Park.  If you wish to explore this area, there are several hiking routes or as the Irish say ‘walking’ routes throughout the park. Barry captured the Wicklow Mountains in this Irish landscape photo titled “Ruins in the Valley.”

 

“Glendalough”
County Wicklow, Ireland (shown at the top)
© Hendrickson Fine Art Photography
Limited edition, Fine Art Photographs for your home. >

 

To see “Ruins in the Valley” visit our website IrelandinBlackandWhite.com >

To see “The Monastery” visit our website IrelandinBlackandWhite.com >

____

 

If you would like to learn “How The Irish Saved Civilization,” read Thomas Cahill’s book. It features Glendalough Monastery and tells the story of how the Celtic monasteries preserved a culture of learning through the Dark Ages. Or another option I personally loved was hearing Liam Neeson read the audio book.   

To plan your own trip to Glendalough, visit these websites:

The Glendalough Visitor Centre >

Wicklow National Park website >