Q: Originally from Nebraska, what are some of your favorite things about living and working in L.A.?

A: The variety. There is so much to experience here that it can be completely debilitating—mostly in a good way. But, for instance, I had to give up on checking Yelp for a good waffle house because all of the beautiful options overwhelmed me to the point where I had to immediately lie down on the floor.

Q: Do you keep a sketchbook? 

A: I can’t keep up with sketchbooks. They always win. Most of my plans and ideas develop inside of my head. Or, sometimes I’ll write a vague stream of seemingly related words onto a napkin or an old receipt. At the time I think that it’ll serve as some perfectly coherent plan for a new piece of work. Inevitably these scraps are found months or years later, and I’ll have no idea why I ever thought that it was necessary to write: transparent, kittens, bottom of bed post, and emerald green.

Q: What is the balance between the art you create on paper versus in the computer?

A: I really only use the computer as a research tool.

Q: What is the most important item in your studio?

A: My paint. 

Q: What do you like best about your workspace?

A: I’m rarely inconvenienced in my studio. In my shared space, we have heat, a mini-fridge, two coffee-making machines, super high ceilings, and exposed brick. All of this is in a decent enough neighborhood which is situated halfway between my home and my job. 

A: Do you think it needs improvement, if so, what would you change?

A: I would love more room, and a basketball hoop. 

Q: How do you know when the art is finished?

A: It’s such a jerky thing to say, but I just do. I guess because I think everything through pretty thoroughly beforehand, the actual manual labor becomes almost systematic.

Q: What was your favorite book as a child?

A: Herbert the Timid Dragon.

Q: What is the best book you’ve recently read?

A: There was no reading involved, but the Matthew Marks gallery put out a book on Gary Hume that is pretty dope. It’s called Yardwork.

Q: If you had to choose one medium to work in for an entire year, eliminating all others, what medium would you choose?

A: Ceramic.

Q: If you could time travel to any era, any place, where would you go?

A: The thirties. I’m really interested in the dust bowl, “Holodomor” (The Ukrainian forced famine), and also the Great Depression. Everything terrible that could possibly go wrong did. I kinda  just want to know if I could survive any of it.

Q: What is preoccupying you at the moment?

A: Grey Gardens (not the theatrical version, the original documentary). I’ve seen it six times in the last eight days.

Q: What are some of your favorite places/books/blogs/websites for inspiration?

A: I pretty much just go about my days and when I come across something of interest to me, that’s when I’ll put a bit of effort into getting more info. There really is no one place that I re-visit for inspiration. I’m all over the place.

Q: What was the [Thunderbolt] painting or drawing or film or otherwise that most affected your approach to art?

A: Just visiting The Sheldon Art Museum on field trips as a kid. It was never stale for me, yet the work was venerated from the second I entered the space. That’s what I want for my own work. You can hug it, but you might also light a candle and sit criss-cross applesauce in front of it. 

Q: What would be your last supper?

A: One cheese runza (only from Runza restaurants in Nebraska), one perfectly ripened Bartlett pear, one steamed artichoke heart, and one piece of New York style cheesecake.

Ranee Henderson is a visual artist based in Los Angeles. She received her BFA from Emily Carr University of Art and Design in 2010, and then another one from Art Center College of Design in 2015. Within her work she "tracks and uncovers the anomalous substances in life, the subtle pluses and minuses that build or bury us." She has built up a diverse body of work in: painting, photography, drawing, and ceramics. Her art has been exhibited in Canada and the United States.

Tumblr: http://ranehend.tumblr.com/

Instagram: @ranehend