WOODWARD – For Woodward resident Kim Hensal, art has been a lifelong passion.
“My parents got me a drawing table when I was young,” she said. “My whole life has been about art.”
Her passion for art eventually turned into a business in the form of her own art studio. Around seven years ago Hensal opened the doors to her new studio in downtown Woodward, where she offers art classes to students of all ages and backgrounds.
“It’s my happy place,” she says of her studio. “I offer classes that range from watercolor classes, to journaling, to private lessons.”
In addition to teaching artists, Hensal is also hard at work creating art from unique mediums and learning new skills.
“My favorite type of art to create is called encaustic,” she explained. “It’s a mixture of beeswax and resin. I melt the pellets at 170 degrees until they become liquid. I then paint this mixture onto wood panels. Each layer fuses together, and after it is applied to the wood, I reheat the wax with a blow torch. Then I create images with wax.”
This particular medium caught Hensal’s eye through reels on social media, and she knew she wanted to learn more.
“Encaustic art is very interesting and challenging,” she said. “I took an online course to learn the basics. The reason I love encaustics is that it’s new and exciting. It’s a challenging medium and just recently I’m developing my own style. The texture makes it unique.”
With her talent, it’s no wonder Hensal is getting noticed both locally and on a statewide level, said some of her local fans.
She recently completed a showing at the Plains Indians and Pioneers Museum in Woodward, and has some art pieces for sale at DNA Galleries in Oklahoma City, located at 1709 NW 16th St. Oklahoma City, OK 73106 in the Plaza district.
The DNA Galleries showing has been a special experience for Hensal, as she said she was proud to be featured along with many other talented artists.
The gallery only features work from artists from the
state of Oklahoma, so buyers know they are purchasing something local, and giving back to the art community.
DNA Galleries selects artists each month to be shown as the artist of the month, where they highlight multiple art pieces, and Hensal was thrilled to have been selected as one of the artists of the month for February, 2025.
“What really appealed to me about DNA galleries is that they feature many local artists,” she said. “I submitted an application to be a part of their gallery, and I was thrilled when they accepted some of my pieces. I was even more honored to be selected as an upcoming artist of the month.”
Her original encaustic pieces can be purchased, in the meantime, at the gallery while awaiting her upcoming feature showing next February.
For more information on Kim Hensal’s art, and art classes you can check out kimhensalart.com
