About Helen Ryan

From the age of nine I decided that art was going to play a very important part in my life.  Now I need to paint like I need to eat and sleep.  My art practice is about expressing what I see, think and feel as I travel and move through life.  Starting in Ireland, my place of birth and education, to Australia, then on to Europe and now London, my chosen home; my paintings reflect the varied landscapes that inspire me through their wild natural beauty or by the sheer scale and power of man-made structures.

I have studied intensively on courses and workshops in London and Australia with artists whose style and practice resonates with what I have wanted to achieve.  Most of my paintings are built up with many layers of paint, and I frequently change the image and colours many times until I am satisfied with the end result.  I never give up on a painting no matter how many swear words!    I use brushes, pallet knife, cardboard, cloth, old credit cards and even my hands to apply the paint.  No manicures for me!  All my paintings are one off originals and I never get prints made of them, therefore each one is unique.

I exhibit regularly in London and was selected for the 2014 and 2016 ING Discerning Eye exhibition at the Mall Galleries, as well as appearing on the BBC2 arts programme "Show me the Monet".  My work is held in private collections in the UK, Ireland, Australia, South Africa, Turkey and Sweden.