Scotland

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I have lived and worked as a full time artist in the small village of Ratagan in the West Highlands of Scotland, near the Isle of Skye since 1988.

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The light is what drives and inspires me to paint.
The liquid light through the arc of a glassy wave or reflected in the wet sand on a beach, juxtaposed with the deep shadows cast against it, excites and challenges me to capture those fleeting moments in paint and pastel.

I walk, climb and sometimes camp to get to know the landscape. I often return to a few favourite places over and over again , which although feel familiar, are always a challenge depending on the weather and the light that day. The more I draw them, the closer I feel to those places and I try to convey those emotions to the viewer. 

I go out painting with a limited palette of inks and pastels, and work in sketchbooks or on larger pieces of paper.This can be challenging in Highland weather, battling with the wind and rain. There is something essential though about being out in the elements and looking intensely at the landscape for some time. 

The Mixed Media process :
I begin with flooding the paper with acrylic inks and watercolours. It’s is a very spontaneous experience. I let the colours collide and mix, letting them “do their own thing”. I try not to be in complete control, allowing the magic to happen.
I work on top of the ink once it’s completely dry with soft pastel to bring out areas of detail.

Time is spent deciding where to add and more importantly where not to add the pastel in order to preserve the lovely fluid qualities of the ink, but to also bring the painting together as a whole. 

I go through phases of being very prolific where everything I do just seems to flow effortlessly, but sometimes the opposite can happen. Time is spent sometimes asking myself, how on earth do I do this again? 

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I graduated with a B.A.Hons Degree in Glass from Edinburgh College of Art in 1987, then spent the following year at the Royal College of Art, London.
 

My work is sold in galleries throughout Scotland and online, selling to private collectors worldwide. 

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Admirers of Helen's work have often commented on how the paintings make them feel transported to that place.

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AWARDS

Sir William Gillies Award 

presented at the 142nd Royal Scottish Society of Painters in Watercolour Annual Open Exhibition 2023

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TO PURCHASE A PAINTING

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If you would like to purchase a painting, please use the contact button at the top of the page or click on my email address at the bottom of the page. Thank you.

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STUDIO VISITS

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Helen's studio is in Ratagan  IV40 8HX   9 miles east of Eilean Donan Castle. 

Please use the Contact button (Top left of page)  or phone 07802 545243 to make an appointment.

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COMMISSIONS

Helen accepts commissions. Please contact her for details.

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2024 EXHIBITIONS

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26th- 29th April              FabrianoinAcquarello, Bologna, Italy

9th - 29th May                An Talla Dearg Isle Ornsay, Isle of Skye  

3rd - 31st August           Glasgow Gallery, Glasgow 

5th Sept - 5th Oct          Tolquhon Gallery     Aberdeenshire    

14th -16th  October       FabrianoinAcquarello,  Fort Worth, Texas, USA