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Artist > Helen Walsh

Media > Sculpture, Turning

Helen Walsh was born in Winnipeg Canada in 1957. She has lived in Australia since 1962. Helen has formal qualifications in diverse fields including microbiology, biochemistry, drawing and painting, literary studies, religious studies, philosophy, and building design. She studied life drawing and painting with David Wilson at his Macquarie Art School, Bathurst, NSW, took up woodturning as a way to a more sculptural approach and now furthers that interest with the addition of carving. She also designs timber furniture and constructs leadlight.
Helen’s work in wood often makes use of reclaimed or recycled timber, partly to make use of timber that will otherwise be discarded but also because this timber has a feature that is related to its past use or misuse: holes, inclusions such as nails; is wormy or rotten. This provides colour and texture that is uncharacteristic of fault-free, purchased timber and is timber that is not commercially available.
She aims to produce a form that is tactile. Colour and texture must compliment the form, not overshadow it; the form will persist when the wood has aged and feature and colour are no longer prominent.
Helen’s work was shortlisted and exhibited in the inaugural Victorian Craft Award in 2015 and featured as part of Timber Memory: an exhibition with a focus on items from the Victorian State Craft Wood Collection and some contemporary makers. She was invited to participate in the Teapot Showcase; an exhibit held at Craft in Melbourne and has exhibited twice at the Melbourne Teapot Exhibition. Helen lives and works in North-Eastern Victoria. Her work is available at galleries in Adelaide, Canberra, Melbourne and Perth.”