By Carolyn Sloan

Spectator

NovaNewsNow.com

“My mother painted roses. Beautiful roses… She was a lady. A true, true lady.”

A commercial artist, theatre student and talent in the field of graphic design, Cynthia Henry had been part of the art scene in Halifax for many years. But it wasn’t until her mother made one final request that she finally took up the brush in earnest.

“I made a promise to her the day she died that I would paint,” says Cynthia. “Isn’t it funny how moms seem to know? Mom was one to encourage you. She was always there to bring you up.

“It’s only really in her passing that I realize she really did contribute a lot to my life.”

Seven years after making the promise to her mother, Cynthia’s latest exhibit, entitled Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea, is a testament to her accomplishments as a watercolourist and the inspiration she has drawn from both her parents.

The exhibit, held at the Art Sales and Rental Gallery in Halifax, is a visual expression of nautical sayings, with the female form and fashion as their vessel. Dressed in 50s style, the women depicted in these paintings maintain a sense of elegance and sensuality, beautifully coupled with the playfulness of their seafaring adornments.

Combining high realism, fantasy and metaphor, her most recent work has a depth that is unusual with watercolours, exemplified by her ability to capture realistic flesh tones.

“I had a lot of luck on this project,” she explains. “Flesh, to me, was something I had never painted before. Painting the human face is one of the most difficult things.”

The exhibit’s nautical theme is directly inspired by Cynthia’s father, who was an officer in the Navy. The feminine beauty and elegance is a tribute to her mother and the kind of dresses she would wear to Navy functions.

“Back in the ‘50s, that’s when women were just experimenting with a low cut,” says Cynthia. “I am a woman. I like to celebrate that within us. I think of beauty, I think of the feminine side.”

(Subhead)Keeping her ancestry alive

Originally from Glen Margaret, Nova Scotia, Cynthia is currently living in the Wilmot area while she is restoring her family’s ancestral home. Built in 1863, the house has been moved a half a mile up the road from its original location. When it is finally completed and Cynthia has made it her new home, it will encapsulate everything in life that she holds most dear.

“My love of history and my love of my local ancestry, ties to the land, and my love of art are all the things I want to bring together in the old house,” she explains.

Just getting to the point of restoring the house has been a challenge. Cynthia had three different people access the building to see if it was structurally secure and there were times when she wasn’t even sure whether such a project would be feasible. In the midst of her uncertainty, however, she received a crucial sign.

While the house was being accessed for the last time, Cynthia, waiting for the verdict, began to cry.

“I was praying out loud to my ancestors, saying ‘Please let me save this old house,’” she remembers, “and the phone rang as I was praying.”

It turned out to be a call for her neighbour that had accidentally rang through to her phone. But what was so remarkable was that the power and phone service had been cut off from the house since her mother’s death.

After hanging up, Cynthia picked up the phone again and, as one would expect, there was no dial tone. It was a sign from her ancestors and it said, “Welcome home.”