When CJ Hendry dropped out of a degree in architecture, she had little idea what her future might hold. While she had discovered early that a life of working with CAD programs and designing floorplans wasn’t for her, she was determined to carve a career doing something that she passionately enjoyed.
Unfortunately for the architectural industry, CJ’s passion was art; in particular she had a penchant for creating intricate, detailed, hyper-realistic artwork - images that looked like black and white photos. Fast forward 5 years, and the prodigiously talented Brisbane girl finds herself based in New York
CJ’s rise to prominence has been meteoric with her work now attracting the attention of large corporations, international collectors, musicians, sportspeople and celebrity performers. Not bad for girl who sold a ll her possessions after quitting uni and a retail job to ‘give art a go’.
My Place Our Place was fortunate enough to spend a few moments with the prolific fine artist.
Is it true you got your big break through posting your work on Instagram?
I’ve been building up my social media account for close to four years and have had some help along the way. It’s about being incredibly determined, that has been my main driver of success. The harder I work, the luckier I get.
Where do you find your inspiration?
Inspiration comes from all over, anywhere and everywhere. You can never plan how it comes, it just happens.
Who are your favorite artists?
KAWS (Brian Donelly, a New York-based artist and designer of limited edition toys and clothing) for his extraordinary scale and simplicity. While Robert Longo (US Painter and Sculptor) and Jonathan Delafield Cook (ex pat illustrator based in London) have certainly helped inspire my style of photorealism.
Why did you move to New York?
I love a challenge. I want to play with the big boys. You never know what opportunities will present themselves when you put yourself out there in the capital of the world.
Big brands feature in many of your drawings. Where did the fascination begin?
It began at a very young age, before I could afford luxury. Straight out of high school I would buy things I wanted with money I didn’t have and the obsession grew deeper and deeper. It has been a point of reference for a long time. Having said that, I’m not as obsessed with luxury as I once was. I now have more to say in my artwork and will be pushing my subject matt er in the up and coming years.
What’s on the agenda for 2017?
It’s hard to say. At the moment I’m just working really hard and staying focused!
Do you plan to come back to Brisbane?
Never say never. Brisbane is my hometown, and my family is there. But at this stage I’m working towards a dream and my family is very supportive of that