Utah veteran turns to art for peace in cancer battle

LINDON — Steve Henline spends his weeknights sitting at a booth at the farmer’s market, sharing his digital art with the hundreds that flock to see his nature-inspired pieces. Yet, it’s not the art that gets them to stay. It’s his story.

Henline, 80, loves sharing his life story of survival, service and peace with everyone he can. As he is fighting cancer, Henline finds solace in his art and the encouragement it can provide to others even amid hardship.

During the Vietnam War, Henline volunteered to serve in the U.S. Air Force. His four years of service ended with him back home in Spanish Fork. He soon married his high school sweetheart, Judy Keele. Through their 57 years of marriage, Henline has encountered his share of sorrow. He even experienced extreme suicidal thoughts at one point, which he attributes to a spiral caused by various medications.

“I was sitting at my kitchen table at 3 a.m. My wife had gone to bed. I got a half a bottle of whiskey and a 45,” Henline recalled. “But, then I started thinking about my wife and how much I loved her. … So, I poured the whiskey and put away the gun.”

Soon, Henline realized he needed a creative outlet to help him cope. With dreams of being a painter, he discovered his physical condition no longer allowed him to hold a brush. His mind turned to a friend in California who created digital art.

“I called him and asked, ‘Do you think I can create art like you?’ He told me without hesitation, ‘No.’ He said, ‘You’re too old. The technology is advancing every day, and it’s too difficult,'” Henline said.

Regardless of his age, he decided to continue pursuing digital artistry. Henline downloaded the necessary software on his computer and began using artificial intelligence, the Adobe suite and other applications to create. 

Using his world travels as inspiration, Henline’s art was inspired by animals, mountains and people in tune with nature. Eight and a half months later, he finally felt as though he could create something he was proud of.

“That changed my life in many, many ways. I thought that the people who are real artists express themselves in watercolor or oil. I worried (artists) would find it unacceptable,” Henline said. “But the fact is that it didn’t happen.”

Henline’s nature-inspired art soon found an audience and has now been sold at farmers’ markets, shipped around the world and displayed at various locations throughout Utah, including the Covey Center for the Arts. Many people have expressed to Henline how his art and story inspired them.

In recent years, Henline was diagnosed with inoperable cancer in his whole body. He is currently undergoing chemotherapy and other therapies to help slow the spread. His art and the conversations that it has sparked have helped him to feel hope and peace amidst the chaos.

“I use this art as a vehicle for people to come chat because they’re curious about it,” Henline explained. “They’ve never seen anything like this.”

He also wants to start a nonprofit organization to help teach children with special needs how to use digital tools to create. He hopes that by sharing his story, he can encourage or help at least one person to have hope.

“We need to do what I’m doing here — sing our songs and tell our story — because without that, our lives would be meaningless,” Henline said.

To view Steve Henline’s art, visit his website. His art can also be found at the Lindon, Orem and Springville farmers markets, depending on his health.