Ten years ago when Candace Hennekens picked up a brush and set of watercolors, she realized she could find an artistic and activist commonality between painting and her first love: writing.

Since that day, the local artist and writer has branched off into various forms of mixed media, all emphasizing her appreciation for color and conveyance of emotional tone. She has taken inspiration from the most diverse of artists, such as Bob Dylan, Georgia O’Keefe, and Henry Miller.

“I love the fact that there are no rules in art,” said Hennekens. “I love to experiment with techniques and materials.”

As a child, Hennekens always knew she wanted to be a writer. She took that dream to college where she graduated with a B.S. in journalism from Northwestern University in Evanston. For several years she worked in employee communications and public relations. She has also written and published three books on topics relating to women, including Healing Your Life: Recovery from Domestic Abuse, For Women in Transition, and There’s a Rainbow in My Glass of Lemonade. Her work has also been featured in several publications and she has been the recipient of several writing awards. Hennekens’ current focus is on fiction and poetry as she awaits placement for the publication of some works.

While Hennekens admits her poetry is often very personal, she has grown to use it as a means of political activism. She wrote a piece for the library’s annual exhibition of writing and art, The Vision and the Word, called “The Origin of Ringtones” surrounding the severe mistreatment of women in the Democratic Republic of Congo. It took a year for Hennekens to properly contain the anger she felt surrounding the topic and produce a poem of substantive quality. Following the crafting of that emotionally straining piece, she took a break from writing, but is now just starting to return to the activist landscape in poetry.

“I am definitely writing more poetry that is political rather than celebrating nature, etc.,” said Hennekens. “The older I get, the more I realize every choice we make is a political one. I try to live consciously.”

Exploring painting further while taking a break from writing has allowed for an individual understanding of the interconnectivity of the arts, said Hennekens.

“The more I paint, the more words are creeping into my painting, especially mixed media.” said Hennekens. “The arts for me are a way to decipher meaning in life and to maintain balance.”

Following New Year’s, Hennekens’ work in a variety of mediums will be on display at the Acoustic Café in Eau Claire. In the summer months, art lovers can visit her studio, a newly renovated 100-year-old barn on her property (E14585 Lincoln Drive in Fall Creek) Otherwise, original and print works can be purchased on www.swallownest.etsy.com.