HELEN CAMPBELL
www.helencampbellartist.co.uk

A lifelong fascination with energy and motion forms the basis of all my paintings, from abstracts to portraits.  The brushstrokes are strong and physical, the paint scratched on with a palette knife or thinned to near translucency to expose the layers of activity beneath.  There is frustration too in the impossibility of depicting the spirit of an invisible force and capturing the ways in which it affects every aspect of our existence.  We are born in force of effort, we grow, move and react to the energies around us, and while we as humans may try to bend Nature to our desire, its raw power will always expose our vulnerability and test our resilience.    The human body is remarkable in the way it flexes and exerts, locking in the energy to hold firm or drive forward, coping with its frailties when ill health and old age affect the flow.  It is this energy that gives me the compulsion to paint and to strive to capture its essence within the painting itself.

BIOGRAPHY:
Bedfordshire-born and bred, I moved to London in 1987 and somehow fell into a career in corporate banking.  In late 2005 I seized the chance to escape and since then have devoted myself to studying and developing my own artistic practice.  I now divide my time between field trips across Britain (with a particular focus on Cornwall) and my studio in Central London, where I am currently working on a number of portrait and landscape commissions.  My studio is part of Make Space, a community of artists, artisans and creative businesses.

EDUCATION:

2010-2011:        The City Literary Institute, London
Developing Fine Art Practice     

2009-2010:        The Art Academy, London
Fine Art Painting Certificate

2008-2009:        The City Literary Institute, London
Fine Art Diploma

2007-2008:        The City Literary Institute, London.
Foundation Diploma in Art & Design (Merit)

SHOWS:
Open Studios Event, Makespace Studios London : 2-4 December 2011 (www.makespacestudios.com)
‘Contemporary Art for Christmas’,The Lloyd Gill Gallery, Weston-Super-Mare – November 2011
‘Site’ group show: The City Literary Institute, London – September 2011
‘Art In Marylebone’: American Intercontinental University, London – June 2011
‘Create, Master, Inspire’: The Art Academy, Southwark, London – July 2010
‘Art In Marylebone’: American Intercontinental University, London – June 2010