The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

DAYTON-Savonnah Henderson has been around art her whole life. Her father, Steve Henderson, is an internationally known fine artist. She has two paternal uncles and one paternal sister who are artists. Her brother Jordan has recently shown his Colombian-trip-inspired wood carvings and charcoal drawings at the Wenaha Gallery, and her father has several of his paintings on display there, now.

And Savonnah is now employed at the gallery as a framer and manager-in-training, according to Pat Harri who owns the gallery along with her husband, Ed.

No visual artist, herself, Henderson said she was originally inspired to try her hand in the culinary arts. Armed with an AA in Culinary Arts from WWCC in 2012, Henderson worked as a pastry cook/line cook for three years at the Marcus Whitman Restaurant, after which she worked a short time at an Omni Resort, in Virginia.

"My co-workers at the Marc had gotten job offers and they invited me to go along," said Henderson about her trek to Virginia.

Henderson said she lasted there only three months because she missed her family.

"I knew I wanted to be here," she said.

The Henderson family is a very close-knit family, Henderson explained.

Henderson is the youngest in a family of four children, all of whom received homeschooling, and all of whom were Running Start students at WWCC.

Henderson's mother, Carolyn, taught the children at home with the help of Henderson's father, Steve, who works at home.

"My mom was a really good teacher," said Henderson.

"She would want me to say that," she grinned.

"We like being around each other."

And, no, they weren't sheltered. Henderson said she and her siblings participated in swim team and other youth activities.

"I have some really good friends in Dayton," she said.

Henderson said her mother, Carolyn, works in advertising at the Wenaha Gallery and encouraged her to apply for the position recently vacated by Wenaha Manager Lael Loyd, who was moving with her husband, Richard, to Port Angeles.

Henderson said she was working at the Weinhardt Café at the time, but she applied for the gallery job because the hours were more regular, which was a better fit for her and for her baby, Byron.

Michele Smith

Shown is one of Steve Henderson's paintings at the Wenaha Gallery, that Savonnah has framed. Steve Henderson is Savonnah's father.

She said she began working under Loyd's direction in July, until Loyd made her final move from Dayton a few weeks ago.

Because she has been surrounded by art her entire life, and having received training from Loyd in proper framing, Henderson knows the importance of choosing the right frame for each piece of art.

"If you don't have the right frame the art can look flat. It can look boring unless you add the right mat, fillet, and frame," she said.

Whether to frame, or not, Henderson said, "I feel it's always better to be framed."

Henderson said she has framed a few of her father's works, which are in the gallery, and she just finished some for returning customers.

"It's a lot of fun," she said. "I love it!"

Henderson said she hopes she does as good a job as her predecessor, and she wants customers to be as comfortable with her, as they were with Loyd.