Cecilia Henle “Dragonfly’s Message,” 1997 – Original Pastel 

Cecilia Henle (American, b. 20th Century)

Cecilia Henle’s Dragonfly’s Message (1997) is a monumental diptych that unites ancient symbolism with contemporary abstraction. Executed in pastel on handmade paper, the composition depicts three galloping horses—rendered in turquoise, russet, and black—charging across a textured surface that evokes weathered cave walls. Spirals, handprints, moons, and geometric forms appear throughout, recalling petroglyphic motifs from early Indigenous and prehistoric art.

Henle’s masterful technique layers dry pigment into the fibrous surface of handmade paper, achieving the look and tactile depth of excavated mural fragments. Her richly textured medium, divided into two joined panels, reflects both motion and memory—suggesting the rediscovery of an ancient vision. Created during her Scottsdale period and originally exhibited at the Joan Cawley Gallery, this work exemplifies Henle’s mature exploration of transformation, spirituality, and ancestral continuity.

A documented example from her late-1990s series, Dragonfly’s Message remains a powerful synthesis of movement, myth, and the timeless human impulse to leave a mark in symbol and color.

Details

• Artist: Cecilia Henle (American, b. 20th Century)
• Title: Dragonfly’s Message
• Year: 1997
• Medium: Pastel on handmade paper (diptych)
• Frame: Rustic wood frame with plexiglass
• Condition: Very good overall; mild fading to matting consistent with age; no visible damage or repairs to artwork
• Documentation: Includes original Joan Cawley Gallery label, invoice, and payment receipt
  • Acquired directly from Joan Cawley Gallery, Scottsdale, Arizona, December 22, 1999
  • Original retail price listed on invoice: $4,800 (total with tax $5,475.60)
  • Documentation includes original invoice, payment receipt, and gallery label

Dimensions:

• Overall (framed): 36" x 84"
• Visible image: 23" x 73"
• Signature: Signed and dated lower right
• Provenance:
  • Joan Cawley Gallery, Scottsdale, Arizona
  • Acquired by Robert & Martha Potter, San Diego, California, December 22, 1999
• Subject Matter: Symbolic horses, petroglyphic and abstract imagery

Artist Biography:

Cecilia Henle is an American contemporary artist recognized for her luminous pastel and mixed-media works inspired by ancient visual traditions. Drawing from cave paintings, petroglyphs, and mythological symbols, her imagery reinterprets early human mark-making through modern abstraction. Henle’s textured handmade paper surfaces evoke stone or bark, bridging the spiritual and the physical in her distinctive style.

Active for over three decades, Henle has exhibited widely in the American Southwest and Europe, with representation from galleries including the Joan Cawley Gallery in Scottsdale, Arizona. Her work appears in numerous private collections and continues to be produced through her independent studio. Often described as contemporary primitive or mystical expressionist, Henle’s art celebrates humanity’s enduring search for meaning through symbol and form.