ERIC MCHENRY

Fear of the Fiddle

Opening: July 17th, 6-8 PM

July 17th - August 13th, 2025

The title comes from a Sam Shepard short story about fiddlers meeting in the woods to jam, possibly possessed by the devil. Eric McHenry read it in 2021 while assisting painter Adam Alessi in Los Angeles. “The work's not exactly pretty, more like haunted, kind of ghoulish,” explains McHenry of his new series. “Think ‘Friend of the Devil’ types who've lived through too many winters. Some of the pieces are just simple and quiet, like a tea set or three juggling balls, but they still feel like they're part of that same strange world.” 

The act of creation is a faith based enterprise. What remains an open question is from where the artist is broadcasting. Balthus said that painting is something both embodied and spiritualized, a way of attaining the soul through the body. Not as a passive undertaking, but something captured via activation. “It can only be attempted by those who know the magnificent jubilation of moving a hand over the canvas,” continued Balthus “preparing the oils, measuring the canvas's tightness, and throwing oneself into color.”

Eric McHenry grew up in rural Illinois and later North Carolina. He previously worked in publishing and design. His paintings have been presented at Clearing Gallery and One Trick Pony in LA. This is his first solo exhibition in New York City.