Note: This article originally appeared in the 2023 edition of Renison Reports.
Around Renison Henry Doucette, Renison’s Manager of Facilities, is known for his quiet smile, friendly presence, and willingness to help with all things Renison. From building a backdrop for the Founders’ Day celebrations to making sure the tap in the staff lounge is in good repair, Henry is an omnipresent figure at Renison, part of a team that keeps the lights on (literally). What many don’t know, however, is that Henry is also an accomplished artist. A true Renaissance (or – Renison-ce, if you’ll humour me) man, Henry has been creating works of art since his very early childhood.
For as long as he can remember Henry has loved to draw. Among his earliest memories is drawing a picture of Santa Claus at age 7 and promptly giving it away to his brother who struggled to draw his own. Growing up in the small community of Mount Stewart in PEI, one of 18 siblings, drawing was something that fed his creative spirit, and could be developed fairly inexpensively. To help encourage her son’s talent, Henry’s mother would bring home large pieces of cardboard from the fish cannery and those would become his first sketchpads.
After moving from PEI to Ontario, once his children were about 10 or 12, Henry decided to pick up a paintbrush. He leaned into his lifetime of drawing skills, and first drew a picture before then painting the same one. After showing it to some of his drawing classmates their praise encouraged Henry to keep going.
Landscapes were often the subject of Henry’s first paintings, “I love to paint trees” he explained with a chuckle. He was also fascinated with how the shades could make things look closer or farther away, almost like magic. Eventually Henry wanted to shift to portraits, and figured out that the measurements of a face were the key - “people think it’s the eyes, but it’s not” he says, and credits portraiture courses for advancing work.
With Henry’s art, the learning is constant, and he loves it that way. He recounts a story of being given three great big art books from a teacher who was living in an apartment building he was managing at the time. Turns out, they were a set of art courses, and he’s been working his way through them ever since. Right now, Henry’s working on the figure drawing course and loves the challenge of it – “It’s stretching me and I love it!”
Henry’s artistic talents seem to have been passed along to his children too. His daughter is a talented artist, and his granddaughter seems to have been gifted with the same drawing talent, “she’s really good!” comments Henry. His son is artistic too; he is a gifted musician, but never took up the family sketchbook.
Henry has had a lot of encouragement from family and friends for his own work, but his dream is to teach and nurture others’ artistic skills. He says that in his retirement he’d love to take some university art courses and teach school-age children drawing and painting. He says it’s like sharing a little bit of what you have, and it’s rewarding. He mentions teaching a group of Renison students a number of years ago, and being blown away by the artistic talent of some of the students – many of whom had never even picked up a pencil!
Though he has been painting now for years, Henry’s passion remains with the simple pencil and paper. Even though he loves painting, “drawing is my passion,” he says. This writer has no doubt he’ll continue to inspire the next generation of artists by demonstrating his own passion as a future art teacher!
Some examples of Henry’s work, including a reproduction of Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring (bottom right) and a portrait of a young family member (bottom left).