Online Artist Archive

Lorentzen, Henry
b. 1900; d. 1997
Discipline: Drawing/Illustration, Painting

Having lived his entire life near Washburn, Henry Lorentzen was strongly influenced by the Missouri River and other natural surroundings.

A farmer and rancher by trade, he had no formal art training. He set up his studio on bluffs overlooking the river and from there, produced numerous landscapes in pastel-colored oils, watercolors, pen and ink, and pencil.

Some of his work depicts a Missouri River that was largely untouched and resembled some of the views seen by Lewis and Clark’s Corps of Discovery. Other images illustrate comfort and security, featuring log cabins nestled into hills or cowboys standing tall and alone on the prairie.

He was married to Grace Barlow in 1931. The marriage produced two daughters, Yvonne and Estell, and two sons, Ross and Norman. Following in her father’s artistic footsteps, Yvonne earned an art degree from the University of Indiana in Bloomington and practiced art as a missionary in Ecuador.

- Ben Nemenoff

“Daddy Was an Artist” is a delightful book by Yvonne Lorentzen McGuire, daughter of Henry, and is the first on the subject of the Lorentzen family in North Dakota.  “Homestead Memories on Buffalo Paunch Creek”, the story of Lorentz and Martha will be available soon and will be a treasure for those researching the movements of real life pioneers at the turn of the 20th century. One of the main goals is to have additional information for each chapter in the book “Daddy Was An Artist.” Video clips, color or additional photographs, newspaper clippings and matters of historical interest. They would love to include current photographs of happy 'art owners' displaying their Henry Lorentzen collector pieces. For learn more, or to order this book, visit www.henrylorentzen.com.  

Lorentzen Paintings

Bibliography:

Barr, Paul E. North Dakota Artists. Grand Forks: University of North Dakota Library, 1954.

Erickson, Vern. “Inspiration, Lewis and Clark in North Dakota: An Artist’s View.” Bismarck Tribune, 1997.

McLeanCountyHeritage, McLean County, North Dakota. Washburn: McLean County Historical Society, 1978.