Henrietta Molinaro in her studio. © The Artist.
I’m a bit of a compulsive collector. I look for things everywhere, whether I am in nature or in the city. I think of the things that catch my eye as like little characters: objects that have had a life and hold a story...
– Henrietta Molinaro, 2025
Eastwood Fine Art: Organic forms, such as plants and feathers, are central to your work, which has progressed from delicately composed cyanotype prints to the bold paintings we see now that marry abstracted colour and form. Can you tell us about changing your approach?
Henrietta Molinaro: Yes, I spent many years making cyanotypes. Inspired by nature and organic forms. I wanted to celebrate their natural beauty, exploring composition and detail. Stripping these forms of their colour (cyanotypes are monochromatic blue) and focusing on their delicate shapes and structures, I was playing with composition and telling a story through sensory images. The more time I spent observing and collecting these forms, the more I felt the need to transition from representational to abstract – removing all narrative and figurative elements and focusing entirely on the emotional powers of form and colour to express nature’s visceral characteristics and my inner feelings.
Watercolour felt like the natural medium to adopt – its translucency and vibrancy being reminiscent of light in nature. I spent time experimenting, building thin, layered washes of paint on primed paper, allowing the colours to sit on the surface and glow from within. The simplified compositions force the viewer to focus entirely on the colours and sculptural shapes, which coexist in an invisible dance.
EFA: Alongside your work, you are an avid collector of objects, including pressed flowers. What do you look for when selecting these objects, and how do they impact your practice?
HM: I’m a bit of a compulsive collector. I look for things everywhere, whether I am in nature or in the city. I think of the things that catch my eye as like little characters: objects that have had a life and hold a story, that look wonderful and give me great pleasure to look at. These objects and natural forms inform my aesthetic and the way I meticulously compose my drawings. All my paintings start as quick, emotional sketches, which then develop into precise pencil drawings where I work out the composition.
EFA: Have you had any recent experiences that have given a new perspective to your day-to-day work?
HM: I love walking. I walk every day. It is during my walks – seeing the changing seasons, new landscapes, and the sheer beauty of nature – that I have time to step back and think. I often return to the studio with a fresh perspective. Over the years, I have also collected an extensive library of art books that I regularly dip into. I love Irving Penn’s photographs – their simplicity, focus on form, and striking compositions are a constant source of inspiration.
EFA: Is there anything you cannot be without in your studio?
HM: Interesting question. There are many things in the studio that inspire me and that I like having around me. But I think it’s the studio itself that I couldn’t be without. It’s having that space to go to every morning – the stillness, the daily ritual, the smell, the quiet conversation between me and my work – that is essential. I get to work, and that’s when inspiration and ideas emerge. It is that discipline that keeps me going. And my speaker… Radio 4 keeps me company during long hours painting.
EFA: The two newly made paintings for Spotlight are made on a larger scale than you have worked before. Tell us about them?
HM: These two works are inspired by my autumn walks – bright reds, oranges, intense greens and golds appearing on the trees. I wanted to capture the intensity and emotional pleasure of this vibrant spectacle. I decided to work on a larger scale to envelop the viewer's field of vision and create a more immersive visual experience. I have played with positive and negative shapes to create a sense of abundance and give a feeling of depth and form. It is this natural counterpoint that works so well for me at a larger scale.