Helen Bur

T h e L l o y d G i l l G a l l e r y

Contemporary Fine Art

Showcasing Local, National & International Artists

Lee House

13 Beaconsfield Road

Weston-Super-Mare

North Somerset

BS23 1YE

United Kingdom

Mon - Sat 10.00am - 4.30pm

+44(0)1934 623449

H e l e n B u r

The relationship between art & life and photography & painting are paramount to my practice. I photograph to keep a record of my everyday life as a diary of experience and memory; a homage to the small moments that may otherwise go unnoticed. I’ll paint from a photograph in an attempt to make it valid, contrasting a spontaneous snapshot with a large scale, meticulous, meditative process of painting. This parallels an interest in Buddhism, being mindfully aware and the vital importance of the present moment. I am interested in the comparative ease of taking a photograph with creating a painting and people’s psychological connections and reactions to the two mediums. When I begin to paint the photograph becomes a short-hand to the memory and something creeps in and works over and above it, filling in what a photograph alone can often miss out. I am currently exploring using multiple photographs and drawings, collaged together as the basis for paintings, taking people from different times and places, sitting them together in an illusive scene. My ultimate goal is allowing concept and aesthetic to find a balance and co-exist in my work so it can step outside the often scrutinised box of photo-realism.

“Art is the nearest thing to life; it is a mode of amplifying experience and extending our contact with our fellow men beyond the bounds of our personal lot. All the more sacred is the task of the artist when he undertakes to paint the lives of the people.” George Elliot.