Washington Post, 3/20/21— “…and Dee Henry’s “1976 Version 2,” actually printed from jeans she wore in high school that year. Henry’s is personal, inventive and pretty funny.” Mark Jenkins

Black Rock Gallery Biennial Print Show——https://www.blackrockcenter.org/ink-it?pgid=kl2w9svo-590322de-cb13-4ce2-9fce-70760dd28125

“1976 version 2” is a monoprint made from the blue jeans I wore every day my senior year of high school in 1976. These jeans became an evolving work of art as my hand sewn patches and embroidery grew into thick layers. As life moved on, I couldn't part with the jeans. At some point, after college and marriage, children and divorce; I cut out just the beautiful rear end of the jeans. I was thinking that "down the road" I would make something of it. So this much loved rag moved with my belongings until 2019 when I saw Pauline Jakobsberg's printed shirt at the BlackRock Center print biennial. I literally became emotional when I saw her work because I finally knew what I had to do with the 43 year old "textile of my life".

After returning home, I began to stiffen the old pants with acrylic medium. At Wilson College in Chambersburg, I used the large press to make 4 collagraph images. This is version 2 and on it I hand sewed tiny collagraph prints that I made on my small home studio press. These tiny collagraphs are made from heavy cardboard on which objects are glued. When dry, I seal these plates with acrylic medium. The plates are inked with Akua soy inks and run through my basement studio press. I placed the prints onto the jeans and sewed them in place with embroidery floss much as I did with the patches on my faithful blue jeans so many years ago.

This work is about life as a woman artist — growing, changing, aging — but still hanging onto the dreams and loves of being 18 — through my art. There is nothing better than getting excited about an artistic idea and seeing it through to completion and this particular project held an extra dose of this feeling for me.