Girl in a Blue Scarf II Painting

Bio ​ Ilze Helgeland is originally from Latvia. Her memories of The Republic of Latvia gaining back its independence from the Soviet Union has had a profound influence on her development as an artist and her Latvian identity. She started her career as a TV news reporter before she embarked on a series of expatriate assignments in different countries including Norway, England, Angola, Brazil, USA, and Venezuela. While living in these different countries, Ilze engaged in photography in support of articles written for various publications in Latvia. At the same time, she gradually increased her interest in graphic design and art. Visual storytelling became a passion and part of her lifestyle. Human values, culture, beauty, and uniqueness is highly prioritised in her visual storytelling.  ​ “In a way, I interview my story heroes with a brush and gradually find something hidden and overseen.”  In her series “Hidden Stories” she states:  “Every human being is an individual with his/her own dreams…, The more I paint humans, the more I realise how much responsibility I have as a painter. I can tell a story.”  Ilze’s current focus in art is to catch the beauty and atmosphere in a single moment. There is sentiment and melancholy in her art searching for true feelings. Ilze Helgeland has graduated from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco in 2018, and now is fully committed to painting.