Shelter Backstep II

Shelter Backstep are the next part of my Shelter series.
The Shelter series has been developed from drawings I made from life in my garden from mid-February to mid-May 2022. I drew every day for 100 days in ink in a sketchbook. The summer of 2022 was very wet due to a second La Nina in the Pacific Ocean. I had to shelter most days on our back veranda or under a beach umbrella. I would sit low to the ground so that the paper didn't get splashed, I'm sure I looked like a life-sized artistic garden gnome.
I have always had plants in pots. When we lived in rental properties and moved frequently it meant I could take my garden with me. Since settling in Cedar Creek we have worked tirelessly on a very large garden, but I still tend to my plants, in many pots, in the house yard.
When we extended our old and small worker's cottage I wanted wide steps at the back of the house ( which is confusingly where the front door is) so that I could display my plants in pots on them. I spent much of my summer drawing project on the back veranda looking down on the steps, sheltering from yet another downpour and I drew the plants and pots many times.
I originally called this series "Shelter Pots" but then realised that might cause some confusion. My husband was raised in Bermuda and calls pans ( for cooking) pots. All part of that common language divide between North Americans and the British. I highly recommend Bill Bryson's " Mother Tongue". It's all about the root of the English language and the mistakes we make when speaking on to each other on the other continent.

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Helen has been a practising artist since completing an MA in Textiles at Manchester Metropolitan University. She is a full-time artist and tutor, working and teaching from her purpose-built studio set on 9 rural acres in Cedar Creek, northside of Brisbane.She lived and worked in Bermuda for many years before settling in SE Queensland. Her work has been shown in group and solo exhibitions in the USA, Canada, The Caribbean, the UK, Bermuda, Europe, Russia and Australia, it can be found in private, corporate and public collections.

Helen's art is bursting with exuberant colour and texture realised in acrylic on board.Her work begins with observational drawings on location developed into lushly layered paintings in the studio. Her work explores genius loci, seeking to find echoes and connections to other places and spaces. Her love of landscape and gardens nurtures ancestral connection and is a central theme of her practice. Her textile training is evident in the marks, pattern, texture and colour of her work.

She completed a year-long artist-in-residence at a local flower farm in May 2024. Her time at the farm produced a major body of work of plein air landscapes and botnical studio paintings. She spent the year drawing and painting on location. Her drawings were developed into richly textured paintings in the studio.

Helen's practice is realised in acrylic on ply. The majority of her work is finished with 3 coats of gloss medium. This enhances the complex layers of paint and colour in the work. If you would like a stain finish please message Helen and she can apply a soft wax to render a satin finish.