Monica Rodriguez Henderson is a contemporary figurative artist. Her work explores culture and identity. Building on the tradition of the Italian Baroque painter of Caravaggio, she uses chiaroscuro to heighten the emotional tone of her work. Henderson paints the subtleties and gestures of the human form, discovering the inner and outer characteristics that make people unique. She is interested in the self-concept and how it can be influence by changing social trends and life experiences. Ultimately, her work connects the viewer to her paintings as she reveals a moment of vulnerability in her subjects, a shared human experience.   

Henderson has had the opportunity to live all over the United States. Her 20 year career as a portrait artist has fueled her interest in the vast cultures in America. She has received degrees in both Sociology and Psychology at Trinity University (San Antonio, Texas). Henderson has had two solo exhibitions at the Magdalena Gallery of Art (Carmel, Indiana), where she was the resident portrait artist. Her work is in domestic and international collections. She lives and works both in Carmel, Indiana and Victor, Idaho.