A few words

About me

INSPIRED BY NATURE

Helen Clarke

I live in rural Lincolnshire with my husband, twin daughters and our crazy dog called Mash. I have always lived on a farm and love to be outdoors; either in my garden, playing tennis or walking Mash. My biggest inspiration for art, photography and creativity has been nature in any form.

I have only recently started to tentatively call myself an artist having been a primary school teacher and an arable farmer. I fell into art by accident when we created an art room for our daughters as a Christmas surprise 8 years ago. The girls loved it but I seemed to spend the most time in there. I had always enjoyed planning and creating displays with the children I taught and relished teaching art skills, I also kept mum busy with a constant stream of craft projects as I grew up so I thinks my art was always bubbling just under the surface.

My first discovery was soft pastels, and they remain my ‘go to’ medium.

My Art

The Process

Whether I am creating a pet portrait or a piece of art for a collection the process is largely the same. I take time to select the best reference photo. If possible I like to use my own photography but this is not always possible. If I use a photographers photo as a reference I contact them directly to ask if they would consider allowing me to use their photo. Once permission is granted I credit them on social media when posting my artwork on Instagram or Facebook.

Depending on the client or the artwork I may then use my sketchbook to trial colours, textures, shapes and try to get to grips with what I hope to achieve. This can take from a few minutes to days before I am ready to start the piece.

Each artwork starts with a basic outline which I may sketch, use a grid or trace. I then start blocking in areas. Most pieces go through a very ugly stage before the final details build up. I work with pastel sticks and pastel crayons layering up to 7 layers to create depth and tone. Some areas may be blended using tissues, blending sticks or my fingers but other areas are left unblended. Occasionally I work in other mediums such as watercolour.