Shelter Hydrangea

This painting is part of my Shelter series. I love hydrangeas. My parents didn't grow them. My Mum had some prejudices against certain plants and hydrangeas were in the "we don't have them in our garden" group. I was so surprised and thrilled that I could grow them in Queensland. They are on the south ( cooler ) side of our home and do well if I keep them watered. I have a rule that once you are in the ground you are on your own. It's a survive-or-die dictatorship in my garden. However, I make an exception for hydrangeas, must be tough for them in the Queensland sun.

This painting is the first I have painted on canvas in around a decade. I have maintained over that time that I prefer to paint on ply. However, this canvas was supplied with its own frame. Framing can be so cost-prohibitive for an artist so I thought I would at least try it. There are 6 coats of gesso on the surface and I happily loved painting it.

"Shelter" is a series of paintings exploring my garden. Our garden has been a labour of love for over a decade. We moved our house onto a rugged cow paddock in Cedar Creek northwest of Brisbane in 2010. I had wanted a large garden for years and finally had almost 10 acres to work with. At first, our house felt perched on the land, it felt separate, and it was stuck in the middle of a hilly lot with a rough driveway as access. We started by mulching around the house and planting and planting. Over the years we slowly pushed back the garden boundaries, beating back the long grass and weeds. I mourned the plants which were lost to sun, rain, clay soil and bush turkeys, and celebrated those that flourished. Our shrubs and trees grew exponentially with the La Nina rains of the past two years and now cocoon our house in cool abundant green.
During the late summer of 2022, I drew my garden from life every day for 100 days. These drawings have provided an invaluable resource for my painting. I produced the series "Round and Round" and now a second series in " Shelter'.
The garden provides shelter for our home. Keeping it shaded and hidden from the road. It provides shelter for birds and wildlife.
While I was making the 100 drawings I more often than not had to shelter on the verandas to make drawings as it was a very wet summer. I had to find new compositions every day as I sheltered from yet another heavy downpour.

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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.