Paint Your Adventure
A television show from Jessica Henry encourages people to explore nature while painting.
Cleveland, OH
For three years, Jessica Henry has produced her own art instruction videos, and she’s gained a healthy following on Youtube and other social media platforms. After having her videos watched for a total of more than 12 million minutes, a television show came as a natural progression.
Paint Your Adventure, produced by CLV Productions’ Jeremy Salo, highlights just how thrilling plein air painting can be. Traveling to gorgeous locales, Henry not only demonstrates painting, but truly experiences the area, exploring on hikes or in kayaks. Henry hopes that by reframing the landscape, viewers will gain a greater appreciation and says, “Instead of taking another snapshot with your phone, you can capture the moment and the meaning of the place.”
Henry grew up in nature, hiking and doing rodeo, and in addition to painting, she says the show aims to encourage people to embrace the outdoors. “Any time people spend time out in nature, it has an impact on your personality and well-being that carries over into everything,” Henry says. “Even if they are just beginning, I don’t want to people to be intimidated. Instead, go get out and paint!”
When approaching her own art, Henry says the experience of filming the television show and instructional videos has made her paint more quickly than ever before. “You definitely learn how to paint efficiently,” she says. “You make decisions faster, and you start to see the things around you more quickly.”
Other endeavors Henry has in the works include Renaissance Academy of Fine Arts, a partnership with Daniel Hill Reidel. An online academy, it has grown on an international level, and encourages everyone— regardless of previous art education or experience—to give painting a try. “To see this grow and flourish, and with the show coming together, is a dream fulfilled,” Henry says.
The pilot of Paint Your Adventure, as well as a seven-part series on plein air painting titled “From Mesas to Mountain Tops,” are available on the Renaissance Creative Arts website.