1. When did you two first meet? Was it dreamy at first sight?
A: We met at Red Lobster, of all places! Phil was a bartender and I was a hostess. I had a long-time boyfriend when we first met, but I definitely thought Phil was dreamy. He was artsy and interesting and handsome…but really quiet. Our mutual friend liked him and invited him to come see a blues band with us. Phil and I ended up talking all night, I finally broke up with my then-boyfriend for good, and we started dating soon after. That was ten years and two babies ago!
P: Yes, it was! I introduced myself over a stack of Red Lobster menus. So suave.
2. Have you two ever worked together collaboratively? If so how did it go? If not, any plans for the future?
P: We went to undergrad together and organized a few projects there, but we’ve never officially collaborated on one piece. We tried to work on a collaborative drawing when Emmett was first born, but it was hard to keep up.
3. One collaboration you have made are your two adorable children. Is it hard to find time to work on your own work now that you have children? How do you make the two work together?
A: They are adorable! The simple answer is that we take turns. I stay up really late at night and Phil wakes up really early in the morning. We’re like ships passing.
P: Most of my time is taken up with teaching. When I come home, Abbey starts working on her stuff. I wake up as early as I possibly can, sometimes as early as 4 AM, to get a project finished. I really have to take advantage of any time I can find and always try to remember that this time is going to go by so fast.
A: That’s so true. Our babies are only going to be little for a blink and it’s already flying by! If one of us has a big project to finish, the other one takes care of all things kid. Luckily, he’s a morning person and I’m a night owl.
4. What about critiques? Is it safe to critique each others' work or do you go to other people for feedback?
A: We’re always bouncing ideas off of one another. We don’t always agree…
P: I’ve come to really value her judgment. She always gives an honest answer, even if it’s not what I really wanted to hear. I’m always asking her for her opinion about my artwork, something I’m writing, a problem with work…all sorts of things. I know she feels comfortable asking me for the same kind of feedback.
A: I do! Every day I’m asking Phil for his advice about something. I’m also always on the phone with two of my dearest friends, Rachael (pistachiopress.com) and Kris. We’ve been friends for years and I trust their instincts. They’re my other two sounding boards…whether they like it or not. J
A: Nope.
P: No, because I know I’d lose out to her every time.
6. What's next for you two with your work? Any projects going on that you would like to share?
P: We just bought a 150-year-old farmhouse, so that’s our next major project.
A: Oh yeah…it’s a project for sure! We’re really excited about it though!
P: We have a ton of work ahead of us. As far as artwork goes, I don’t know. I just finished a 4 x 8 foot woodcut that we printed with a steamroller. Something always seems to come up, right?
A: Always. I’m still working on my 20 in 20 project and Rachael and I just finished a huge project together that will be debuting at the National Stationary Show in May. Lots of exciting things are happening!
P: Always.
Thanks to both of you for making such dreamy work!
Here are some links for find the Hendricksons Two:
Abbey's Blog: Aesthetic Outburst
Abbey's Art: How Now Design
Philip's Art: philiphendrickson.com
Cancel your plans for today because you're sure to get addicted!
2 comments:
Great interview!!
i love how small and interconnected, yet large and far-thinking the printmaking/art/craft world that we belong to is!
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