Mia Tarducci Henry is a working artist in Pittsburgh.
“I have been painting more or less nonstop since 2008. I’m pretty sure I can’t stop,” she says. “I really think that if you ever define yourself as an artist then you’ve never not been one.”
Ms. Henry was recently named the 2014 Emerging Artist of the Year by Pittsburgh Center for the Arts in Shadyside. Her exhibit, which is titled “Inside and Out,” features a series of large-scale abstract oil paintings, along with other three-dimensional elements. It is on view through July 20.
Since she began showing her work, it's been selected by curators for exhibition in both contemporary museums and gallery settings across the U.S. Her background is in art and Italian language, having studied in Washington, D.C., at Georgetown University, and in Italy at the University of Siena. She was raised in Rhode Island.
“Inside and Out” focuses on the interplay among humor, color and scale. “This show came together in a fairly organic way,” she explains. “I try to let that happen with solo exhibitions. I feel like the more naturally the work comes to me, the more confident it is.”
Looking at the paintings in this show, the viewer is sure to notice the beautiful layering of color. The contrasts and blending between hues tap into a deeper meaning for Ms. Henry. She explains how the process of painting for her is personal, meditative, and often better at conveying emotion. “When I’m painting the abstract work, I don’t think in terms of words, just color,” she says.
“Language never seems to contain the right noises, emphasis or weight to equal an emotion. For me, color has the ability to record emotion,” she says. “It can be used on its own or layered almost endlessly to convey what language cannot.”
Meanwhile Pittsburgh continues to inspire her art. “More than the actual city, it’s the people who inspire me. I’m excited to be living and working here,” Ms. Henry says. “At this moment there’s a palpable vitality in the art scene.”
For more about this and other exhibits at PCA visit: pittsburgharts.org. To view Ms. Henry’s online portfolio: miatarduccihenry.com.
First Published: June 24, 2014, 4:00 a.m.
