Exhibition 'Elena Henshaw Exhibition' in Museum of Oxford
Elena Henshaw's current work directly reflects and is based on the interpretation of the Thames path and its surroundings. She loves wondering around the hidden riverside corners away from the tourist trails. This is the Oxford and Oxfordshire that is often hidden from the leisure visitor but is familiar to a local eye. Some parts are nearly or already gone, like the ruins of the Old Mill at the Osney Lock, having been rebuilt as luxury accommodation. Others are still there but are waiting to be changed and replaced in the process of redevelopment. Elena’s aim as an artist is to reflect and preserve in her works the look and the feel of these rather unassuming but familiar riverside century-aged corners. To intensify this feeling of historic wealth and importance, Elena uses recycled materials for her paintings, such as burlap and reclaimed wood, as an addition to the canvas and often as part of the assemblage work.