Helen Gardner

I work from the natural world, responding to moments of transformation and illumination, and the interplay between surface and depth. I am interested in the play of light that elevates an object or surface for an instant. I am intrigued by subject matter that shifts and changes, defying categorization and certainty.

I explore my observations through a variety of media and processes. I am guided and informed by the unique qualities of different materials and techniques.

My approach means that sometimes I find the work becomes compellingly graphic and at other times, much more suggestive and abstracted. Most recently, I have been exploring overlapping printed layers.

“And as much as I’d like to believe there’s truth beyond illusion, I’ve come to believe there’s no truth beyond illusion. Because between reality on the one hand, and the point where the mind strikes reality, there’s a middle zone, a rainbow edge, where beauty comes into being, where very different surfaces mingle and blur.” (“The Goldfinch”, Donna Tartt)