Interview with Artist CJ Hendry

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Each piece of artwork takes Catherine Jenna Hendry, better known as CJ Hendry 100-200 hours of meticulous work. The Australian artist is no stranger to hard work and has moved up the ranks from Instagram artist to bonafide international superstar working with brands like Christian Louboutin and catching the eyes of celebrities like Kanye West. Her path to success has been unconventional, dropping out of architecture school to pursue her passion for drawing in Brooklyn, New York.

In 2013, her incredible drawings, posted on the social media platform Instagram, garnered attention from fans around the world. Now, the 32-year-old Hendry hosts her own solo exhibitions and sells her pieces for upwards of two hundred thousand dollars. Her hyper-realistic artwork done with pen and pencil crayons—and no formal art training— is a testament to her natural skill as an artist. Her large-scale pieces of luxury objects, abstract colors, and flowers are nothing short of incredible. CJ Hendry found time in her busy schedule to answer a few questions for Flair Magazine. 

Interview Questions:

You work hours and hours on a single piece of art and the process is long and tedious but what is your favorite part of the entire artistic process? 

Everything! The photography and editing to find the perfect composition and then the hours when I draw is a really nice relaxing process.

You have created a personalized piece for Kanye West and worked with the infamous Christian Louboutin label in 2017. What are you currently working on?

 I am currently working on my next exhibition, Epilogue, which will be in London on April 3 – 12.

What advice would you give to an emerging artist? 

Work with the best materials. 

On that note, was there a pivotal moment when you decided to follow your path as an artist? 

So in 2012 I had dropped of architecture and a semester off finishing finance and I just thought fuck it, I am going to pursue this idea of doing art full time. I sold my entire wardrobe to fund myself, gave myself a year and got to work.

You have an infinite budget, and carte blanche what is your dream project? 

Interior decorating big beautiful spaces. I am obsessed with chairs.

Fill-in-the-blank Questions with CJ: 

1. I would define beauty as good skin. 
2. My favorite art gallery in New York is the MOMA.
3. The future is exciting. 
4. My favorite designer is Dior. I feel like they are having a moment. 
5. Current binge watch is The Wire.