Q&A With Teil Duncan Henley: Growing Her Art into a Business

Q: Did you always think a multifaceted business could come out of your craft?

Teil Duncan Henley: Not quite. Entrepreneurship kind of fell into my lap. I just picked up skills as I went from good people that knew more than I did. I learned a lot about the business trades from a generous friend who shared crucial tips — mainly on how not to let your artwork sit on the floor forever. I had to bring my work one level up.

Q: How did you transition from fine artist to textile designer?

Duncan Henley: For the first ten years of my business, I focused mostly on painting and sharpening my skill set, while subtly incorporating other products that showcased my work. As we moved into our home and dove into the world of interior design, I was more exposed to the wallpaper and fabric realm, which was so appealing. I was already dabbling with repeated patterns in my artwork, so the more I familiarized with this trade, the more convinced I was that I could do it!

Q: Is there a specific process you follow to get winning designs?

Duncan Henley: When creating a successful piece of art, I think about: dimension, color harmony, interesting color palettes, using light and shadow to make it look real, maybe even a surprise, pop-realism-versus-abstraction element, and balancing all that. That's the secret sauce — all of these things at play at once, either consciously or subconsciously.

Q: Were there hurdles you had to jump before starting your own business?

Duncan Henley: At one point I was at the end of my road creatively. I was ready to quit. I was all over the place painting different things. It was a hard time but valuable because this process has to happen in order to develop your voice and style. Then I happened to walk past a studio during a figure-drawing class and there was a model posing. I snapped a picture of her because I thought the light looked good. And then I thought: “I’m going to paint her.”

That's when I switched from oils to acrylic, narrowed my colors down to two, and bought 15 small canvases. I painted the model over and over in different color palettes, then put it all together. I started emailing bloggers and asking them to put the paintings on their sites. That was the moment I knew this business could actually get off the ground.

Q: What’s the best part of your job?

Duncan Henley: One of the most rewarding parts of my job is creating a collection; tapping into something new that I haven't done before. Then I will fill up a whole wall based on the new style or subject. I just love seeing a packed wall made up of an entire collection of a totally new technique.

Q: What advice would you give a budding artist-entrepreneur who doesn't know where to start?

Duncan Henley: Start at a small scale; pick one thing and do it well. It's less intimidating and you don't have a gigantic canvas to fill. Also, narrow down your color palette; you can add colors and scale later. Just pick one subject and paint it over and over again using different colors. Keep sharpening that subject. It's better to master one subject first than to be spread thin for the sake of being versatile.

Q: Any new developments with your company you want to reveal?

Duncan Henley: I just released a new textile line, which includes fabric and wallpaper. I would like to see this segment of the business become well established. I will always, God willing, paint until the end of my life — but this aspect of the business is just so exciting. I want it to keep evolving.

Q: What's the biggest lesson you've learned in your entrepreneurial journey?

Duncan Henley: The world wants to say women can do it all — be mom of the year and a CEO. But I don't agree with that. Something has to give. So I put people in place to carry the business to the next step. For example, when I come to the studio, I am solely focused on the creative work and now have people in place to handle the business end. Delegating has been a huge learning curve for me. Being an entrepreneur has helped me hand off things that aren't my skill set — and that's what keeps my business growing.