Helena McGrath launches an art exhibition this month at Chenies Manor – displaying paintings that reveal a lot about her as a person and her everyday life in Chorleywood.
Taking up painting again after a career and years of motherhood was the best move ever says Helena McGrath.
“I was working in TV and didn’t paint for years until I had my three kids. Although I did an art Foundation course, my degree was in English and History of Art so I felt I could never say I was an artist. It was a niggling thing. I decided to do a Fine Art MA to get it out of my system. I went to the University of Herts and studied part time at the Hatfield campus for 2 years, finishing last September. I found it really stimulating and it moved my work on a lot.”
Helena’s early paintings were very realistic
“I followed the Euston Road approach – I loved Euan Uglow whose work was very accurate, through painstaking observation and measurement. Whilst I was at Herts I developed a much freer style – I now paint loosely first then draw accurately on top later. I like the structure of drawing. What you’re seeing is a separation of drawing and painting, of thinking and feeling. The two things don’t always match up – a bit like in real life!”
“At uni there were constant discussions about how you could justify painting in a digital age. I started to question why and how I was painting … I love paint as a material and decided that my work should reflect my personal experience.
I am really interested in mundane everyday things that most people don’t record. My daily journey to school was a perfect subject for my MA work. I painted the same walk I had done every day over fourteen years to Russell School with my three children, 16 paintings in all. The paintings were about being a mother in a community I’ve been part of for years – an experience as rich as any other. I have met some amazing people who have become important to me. Unlike a digital image, painting evolves over a period of time so it can convey a real depth of experience.”
Helena’s exhibition at Chenies Manor shows her work since her Masters, mostly painted in her Chorleywood garden studio, a space which has become her haven.
“I light my wood burner in the studio and pretend to be Cézanne! (ref Cézanne, Stove in the Atelier). My paintings are about domestic life. I like to give clutter and objects as much weight in my paintings as people – I leave all the pots and pans in! It’s my everyday experience, my family and environment, sometimes inspired by a photograph, something I’ve read or just a moment…”
And the results beat a smart phone image by miles!
See Helena Mc Grath’s paintings at Pavilion Gallery, Chenies Manor, Easter Mon, Weds and Thurs , 2pm – 5pm, Mon 2 April – Thurs 12th April.
Make an afternoon of it and enjoy the Manor gardens and café.
