Tammi Henke - July 2026

How and where did your art practice begin?

I would say my art practice started all the way back to when I was a child. I was always creating – drawing, writing, or making crafts..  I loved when we would do art or craft projects in the elementary school classroom.  My mom was fairly artsy and talented herself so we were often doing things at home too.  So, growing up the arts were often a part of my life, but it wasn't until right after my freshman year in college that it became apparent that the arts were going to become a very integral part of my life, resulting in an art career.  After I graduated from Uw-Madison, I taught art in the Deerfield Public Schools from 1990-2021, until my retirement.  I really loved my job – love the students, my coworkers, and the community!  I was so lucky to have a career where I was able to do something with art in my life every day.

Where do you draw Inspiration for your forms/designs?

For my paintings and photography, it often comes from personal subjects, like pets or places I've been while traveling.  For my recycled magazine collages, the inspiration comes often from already existing materials – mostly the colored pages from magazines, and incorporating these to create an entirely new piece of artwork.  My collages tend to be of an uplifting or inspirational theme, often of sunrises or sunsets, hope and peace, and being and loving yourself.

What draws you to your specific/preferred medium?

While I don't necessarily have a preferred one, the medium I create the most of these last few years are definitely my recycled magazine collages. In this time of environmental awareness and concerns, I really love the concept of reusing something that is already existing – the colored pages of magazines, instead of buying new paints, for example.  And, inadvertently, it also helps to show others how we can take things we already have and creatively turn them into something new and totally different!

Who were your mentors or what resources did you use to learn your medium?

I would say my earliest mentor would have to be my mom.  She was always encouraging my creativity at a young age and she herself had her own interest in the arts. We always had lots of materials at home for drawing and painting.  I still even have my very first box of oil pastels!  Then in seventh grade, I had Mrs. Christiansen for art class.  I remember the art room very well and still have several of the projects that I made.  She was probably the first person who allowed me to see that perhaps this could be a future career, and I really loved her class.  When I started  college, I was undeclared for my major, and was actually thinking of going into journalism.  But then came along two extremely influential professors, Richard Dale and Mark Sisson, who taught drawing, painting, and printmaking they helped me to see my talent and started me on my path towards a future career in the arts. And, the rest as they say, is history.

What challenges does your medium or process present and how do you adjust for or react to those challenges as they arise?

While creating the recycle magazine collages, there are some challenges in that there are limited colors available, since you are only using what's already printed on the magazine pages.  For example, there is not a lot of yellow in large page formats in magazines, and as in painting, you cannot just mix whatever color you need.  So, sometimes finding particular colors can be challenging.  Also, if words are being used on the art pieces, finding them already printed often doesn't happen.  So, sometimes I have to hunt for separate letters and individually piece the words, sentences, or phrases together, which can become quite tedious!  Also, as some print magazines start going to digital formats, there may become a need in the future for more adaptation into the supplies that I use, and how I create these collages.

Where is your practice now, what is your focus, where is it growing?

In terms of my own art practice, I still dabble in bits of everything - of course the recycle magazine collages that I sell at Art Hub, but also with acrylic painting(mostly family pets), and photography.  Lately, I have been experimenting with printing photos that I've taken myself, editing them into a black-and-white format on the computer, and then hand coloring them with either watercolor pencils or pastel pencils.  I like to be able to control and manipulate where the colors get filled in, and I think the effect is unique and different from the original photograph.  I am also currently taking a go-at-your-own-pace online class about mixed media arts, using watercolor and embroidery for painting and stitching travel scenery.  We'll see how this turns out!

What role do places like Art Hub play in having an art practice that is also a business?

As a longtime art educator, I cannot say enough, how valuable and important places like Art Hub are to a community.  For children and adults alike, we all need spaces where we can explore and expand our thinking and creative process, either on our own, or together with others.  The Art Hub space offering classes helps enable this exploration and freedom of experience that is so vital to all of us.  It's also a great place for local artists like myself, to showcase and sell our work and mutually support the arts for each other.  I am so thankful to have a space like Art Hub in our area!!