Interview
Helen Blair
Award-winning artist Helen Blair paints vibrant colors and deep, rich contrasts, with a combination of brushwork and palette knife. She paints from her studio barn and also in plein air, where she has an ideal landscape to be inspired from.
Helen began painting 25 years ago while bringing up her family of five children. She’s had numerous successful exhibitions and has sold her works to many collectors around New Zealand and overseas.
The former President of the Pohutukawa Art Society for Auckland Solo Exhibitions, Helen used to also run her own gallery in central Otago Clyde, where she would arrange to take groups of people outdoor painting, en plein air. Helen is currently focusing on commission pieces and custom orders.
What is your background and how did you start your journey in the art world?
“I come from a farming background, which filled me with a love for the outdoors and nature. This is where my inspiration for art started. My earliest memories are finger painting at Sunday School when I was a preschooler. In primary school, art was my favorite subject, and I won many prizes for my work.
I took art as a subject in college but I left after only one term, as I wanted to have more freedom with what I drew and painted. It was after having my first child at 21 that I became more dedicated to painting. Painting became a way for me to have time-out and feel alive. After the birth of my second child, I joined some local art lessons on oil painting.
My tutor liked using the palette knife, and that's when I discovered how much I loved it as well. Because I had to work around my family and had limited time, the palette knife also allowed me to paint quickly. This helped me develop my expressionist way of painting.
Over the past 25 years, I’ve adapted my own style and technique. My 5 children are all grown up now, which allows me to paint full time.”
“My art pieces are made through feelings rather than words. They are inconsequential moments that are highly charged.
I love to paint loose, fast, strong, contrasting works imbued with light, color and energy.”
What inspires you most?
“I find my inspiration from my garden and from nature. I love the landscape, and watching the play of light over it. Color also really inspires me. I’m always looking at color and imagine it as a painting.
I often imagine how I will paint something: the strokes and colors, the composition. It makes me feel alive and complete. It takes me into a world of calmness and peace, which has helped me deal with the outer stresses of life.”
What themes do you pursue? Is there an underlying message in your work?
“I like working in series and collections. I have quite a few different collections: Beach, Mountains, Wildflowers and Bush. Then there’s the Sunflowers, Irises and Poppies which I’ve done a lot of as well. I like to think that when someone looks at my work, they connect with nature on a deeper level. I find that a lot of people who view my art love the color I use, and find it uplifting.”
“It’s an amazing and satisfying feeling to put paint on canvas. I strive to put energy and passion into my work.
I like to give people a feeling of connection; to allow them to be drawn into it by movement and the contrasts of light and color.”
How would you describe your work?
“I love color! I use a textural impasto paint style. Some areas are softened by loose brushwork, revealing layers of subtle color underneath. This gives my paintings a blended, yet sharp effect, and a sense of movement which reflects more light, creating textural impressionist color tapestries.”
Which artists influence you most?
“Artists that influence me are Monet and Van Gogh. I love the Impressionists.”
What is your creative process like?
“I start with my intuition, getting in touch with what I feel like creating. It’s usually a place I've recently spent time in: the mountains, bush, beach or my garden. I draw energy from a place and then start to imagine how I would paint it. I usually have photos as reference and a sketch or outdoor painting to work from as well. Painting from real life allows me to see all the color and details, and also allows me to remember the feeling of the place.
With the help of my reference image, I use a paintbrush to roughly sketch it on canvas. Then I go with the palette knife, spontaneously building up layers of paint and blending them together. I like using a palette knife because it gives me an amazing feeling of freedom.
For best effects, I alternate between the palette knife and brush. When painting some large areas such as the sky, I sometimes use a large brush to smooth and blend it.”
What is an artist’s role in society and how do you see that evolving?
"An artist’s role in society is allowing oneself to be creative and to give inspiration to others. Artists also help people’s mental health and well-being.”
Have you had any noteworthy exhibitions you'd like to share?
“I have had a number of exhibitions:
Central Otago Arts Gold National Finalist 2020.
Central Otago, Blossom Art Exhibition 2020.
Central Otago, Blossom Art Exhibition 2019.
Central Otago, Blossom Art Exhibition 2018.Pohutukawa Coast Auckland Exhibition 2016.
Pohutukawa Coast Auckland Exhibition 2015.
Pohutukawa Coast Auckland Exhibition 2014.
Pohutukawa Coast Auckland Exhibition 2013.NZ Art Show Wellington 2012.
NZ Art Show Wellington 2011.
NZ Art Show Wellington 2011.Telecom Art Award 2000.”
