Helen Mason
Painter, Print maker
Chronicles
My current paintings and drawings are concerned with personal memories, particularly of places, and how these fade and change the reality. Through recall, observation and research, I work through memories changing the images as clarity or new information emerges.
In the Pentimenti paintings, I explored altered images, allowing the changes, alterations and corrections of the memories to create a history of shapes, lines and colours. These elements start to dictate their own balance and composition, a release from the representational. This series represents a departure from more figurative work and letting the visual elements come to the fore and working from a more personal viewpoint.
This latest series, Chronicles, follows on from Pentimenti and include mixed media drawings. Taking the ideas and memories further, Chronicles takes deeper into childhood memories and explores the connections with my contemporaries, friends and family. Text has become part of the images. Weaving in and out of the images they recall specific events and often provide a catharsis in that the memories are recorded forever, even if only legible or meaningful to me.
2018 onwards Horizon Studios DAT alumnus
2013 - 2018 Fellow of Digswell Arts working in the Fenners Studios, Letchworth
Also workshops and classes in most painting an print media for adults and young people
1981 - 2012 Head of Art and Design, Creative Arts Faculty in schools in Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Nottinghamshire
Taught art and design to key stages 3, 4 and 5.
1978-81 Occupational Therapy in a Leicester psychiatric hospital
1976-77 Box office Birmingham Repertory Theatre
1975-76 Arts Information, West Midland Arts, Brimingham
1977-78 PGCE ATD Leicester
1972-5 BA Hons Fine Art Birmingham
1971-2 Art Foundation Loughborough