Helen Phoenix
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Originally from the North East, Helen Phoenix studied Fine Art at Cheltenham College of Art, Norwich School of Art and finally in Brighton. Helen is very fond of little garden birds and art that makes her smile.
Helen discovered the art of icon painting while working with a priest at her local church and became fascinated with the medium of egg tempera.
Egg tempera is an ancient technique, used primarily in medieval paintings until the late renaissance where it was superseded by the introduction of oil paints. Dry pigments are mixed with egg yolk, which act as a binder and must be constantly adjusted with the addition of distilled water and vinegar to maintain the consistency of the paint. Thin layers are applied, working from the dark to the light, with glaze used between each layer to build up the luminosity in the work. Final coatings of shellac are applied to protect the work and make the colours ‘sing’. The addition of gilding gives Helen’s paintings a warm reflective glow.
Aristophanes wrote of a city in the sky where humans transformed into birds, cloud cuckoo land. Inspired by this, Helen started to explore her own cloud cuckoo land. The birds take on personalities of their own. Two of these little paintings were exhibited in the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition and the work continued to flourish. Helen has completed paintings for a variety of clients including Jonathon Ross and Dawn French.
Her latest body of work is a synopsis of her love for painting and nature, her mantra epitomises her intentions.
“when someone views my paintings my aim is for the experience to be joyfully reflective and in future perhaps pay a little more attention to the birds”
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Seeing the different stages of Helen Phoenix's 'Raspberry Thief' shows brilliantly the different stages that go into making a painting. Thank you to the artist for the images.
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