Hello, I'm Helen
Working in my studio in Stroud my practice is intuitive, using gestural brushwork and mark making.
I allow myself to play and explore, expressing emotions I’m feeling in the moment. Discovering marks, textures and colour combinations that feel inviting.
A bit about me..
I live in Stroud with my husband and two daughters. We love living here, its a town that punches above it's weight in the arts and we're surrounded by gorgeous countryside.
I grew up by the sea in Falmouth, Cornwall where I fell in love with painting as a teenager and studied an art foundation at Falmouth College of Arts.
I then took a different path, moving to Bristol to study sociology, travelling and working in social policy.
After more than ten years without picking up a paintbrush I started taking art classes again and it made me happy.
As a first time mum I found peace of mind in the moments I spent drawing while my baby slept (in the car! it was the only place she would sleep in the day, I kept a sketchbook and pencil case in the glove compartment) I began to draw every day.
After moving from Bristol to Stroud I gave up my job so I could be at home with my family and allow myself time to build a creative business, not really knowing what that would look like just that I wanted to paint and use my creativity.
I started making more illustrative work, but longed to make art that was more spontaneous.
Years later I’m still learning to let go, explore and play with colour combinations, texture and mark making. Colour has such an immediate impact on the way I feel, it's a process that brings me joy and it's wonderful when people connect to that through my work.
Read more about my process in my artists statement.