CJ Hendry made her first sale from her childhood bedroom in Brisbane, CJ was 26 at the time, posting her art to Instagram, and the buyers reached out about a hyper-realistic drawing of a pair of R.M.Williams boots. Hendry sold it for about $8,900. A decade later, the mother of two commands six- to seven-figure sums for her works, which often can take longer than 80 hours to complete. (There's reportedly a five-year waiting list for her pieces.) Hendry works with anywhere from 6 to 20 full-time employees and has expanded her practice to include interactive installations that draw thousands of people willing to wait hours to gain entry.
Hendry, who was once a Chanel retail employee, has called herself a "full-time shopaholic...utterly obsessed with luxury product." She sold all her high-end clothing and accessories to start her career in her parents' home. Her work was a dream fit for the early days of Instagram: Her early posts displayed her hyper-realistic drawings of an Hermès bicycle, a bottle of Chanel No. 5, Saint Laurent patent leather lace-ups, and Louboutin high-tops. She either purchased or borrowed all the merchandise she drew, kept a select few pieces, and sold the rest on eBay.
Hendry hasn't signed with a gallery, something nearly unheard of for an artist of her stature. Instead of shows with artists' statements and vague language, she's opted to put it out there for all-or her 746,000 followers, at least-to see. "What has really helped is that hyper-realism is perfectly situated to work well on Instagram. It's easy to consume; it's easy to look at," she says.
This story is from the March 2024 edition of ELLE US.
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This story is from the March 2024 edition of ELLE US.
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