He was inspired to be a cartoon artist, he said, when he first saw the Disney film “Cinderella.”
“Then in 1980 I successfully completed the character animation program at the California Institute for the Arts. Not long after that I began my career with the Disney Company.”
Over the years Henn has risen in the ranks and has become a supervising animator. He helped create such figures as Ariel of “The Little Mermaid, Belle of “Beauty and the Beast,” young Sinbad in “The Lion King,” the title character in “Mulan” and Princess Tiana of the 2009 movie “The Princess and the Frog.”
According to wildlife artist Debbie Lentz of Springboro, Henn, a family friend, also is an accomplished sculptor, an American history buff and antique collector.
Among his many creations, Henn was commissioned to create the bronze memorial of Wilbur and Orville Wright of Dayton, the inventors of modern flight, that is located at Legacy Plaza near Deeds Point across the Great Miami River from downtown Dayton.
Lentz, along with two friends who are also artists, will open the area’s newest art gallery, named the Wombat Art Works, on Saturday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 11 a.m.
Co-owners of the gallery, at 258 S. Main St. in Waynesville, are Cassandra Graham and Trish Jefferson.
The talents of about 20 artists will be on sale when the gallery opens for business.
Lentz said, “We see ourselves as an art center. We hope to bring together the talents of our artists to create a space filled with paintings, sculpture, glasswork, woodcarving and pottery.”
She said there are also plans for workshops, a masquerade ball in October, and “all kinds of experimental events in the field of special events. We hope to do all this,” Lentz said, “and to have a lot of fun doing it.”
To start, the gallery will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays. For additional information, call (513) 897-7174.
Dale Huffman wants your suggestions and story ideas. He’d like to share a story about you, your family, or a friend. This column is for you. Send e-mail to dhuffman@DaytonDailyNews.com or write to Dale at 1611 S. Main St. Dayton, OH 45409. Fax: (937) 225-2489. Phone: (937) 225-2272.
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