Helen Davison

Professional full time artist painting acrylic abstracts, portraits and a plethora of other subjects - see also www.helendavison.co.uk

I work mainly in acrylics, as I like their versatility - they can be used like watercolours or oils, depending on the finish required. However, I will try anything once, and am quite willing to take on a commission for someone if a particular idea springs to mind. My work is usually done on deep edged box-framed canvases, which eliminates the need for additional framing. This is a very popular format currently as it creates a very minimalist look on the wall. Having said that, I also do paintings on acrylic card and boards, which I can arrange to have framed prior to dispatch if you prefer. I tend to have a variety of subject matters from which I draw inspiration - my style is not restricted to just one subject. I think that would, quite simply, bore me silly! I need variety in all walks of my life and since I always have more than one painting on the go at any given time, it helps that my subjects are so wide. I do, however, have a fascination with faces, expressions and the naked figure, as I think the shapes created by our bodies are so lovely to look at. I also like to explore different textures within a painting, despite the subject matter, so I try to include some texture in every piece I create - whether I am using acrylic paints or pencils. I sometimes utilise collage-effects within my paintings, such as in "Bark The 7th" where I have glued dried leaves onto the canvas prior to painting it, plus in "Exhibere Papillas" I stuck some woodchip wallpaper onto the canvas prior to painting it as part of the figure's clothing. I think this sort of effect creates a very textural look - I want my paintings to be touched as well as looked at - they are a very tactile item in the creation process so should be the same once complete! My other main love is of bright colours and bold lines - I cannot imagine I would ever get to grips with an impressionistic style of painting as my leaning is far more towards the neat, precise brush strokes and lines such as my "A Bit of Orange" or "Not Everything Is Black and White". I do occasionally let rip with the palette knife and stray from my usual neat style, as can be seen with my "Abstract in Jet & Emerald", but generally speaking, I cannot help but be neat and tidy in my working!!! My latest experiment with new styles has been my abstract expressionist painting - "3 Wise Men and an Interloper". I was influenced by Picasso's work on "Three Dancers" which I recreated for a play recently. I have also done another similar styled piece of work which is to be donated to some local art students in order to raise money for their end of term show - this piece will be on display shortly.

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