Helen Withington

I'm Helen.

I was born in Harlow in the UK and raised in Hertfordshire until 11, when I moved to Exeter then Barnstaple in Devon. I now live in the beautiful county of Hampshire with my husband and daughter.

I come from artistic parents; my father Roger Withington is the former banknote designer at the Bank of England. You may be familiar with 'Series 'E' which includes banknotes which feature Charles Dickens, George Stevenson, Michael Faraday, Sir John Houblon, and Edward Elgar. You can see his work on display at the Bank of England Museum just off Threadneedle Street in London.

My work is often inspired by people, books, and photos I take which I use as reference for my art and often upload them onto Shutterstock. I enjoy focussing on themes like London, animals, people and night-time - which I think is the most interesting setting for my paintings.

Other major themes:
Nighttime, London buildings, houses, people, nature, summer, travel, fiction, historical buildings – e.g. Victorian and Tudor, mysterious buildings, colourful, bold contrasts, pencil tone, animals, detail, convincing drawing, realism, out of the ordinary.

Process:
My process begins with an idea. It could be the shape of something, the colour or the contrast ...

I have a Bachelor of Arts Honours degree in Design: Illustration which I achieved at Plymouth University based in Exeter.

I've had experience of working in an advertising agency as a graphic designer and artworker which has been helpful in deciding layouts and putting copy and images together successfully.

I have much experience as a copywriter which is what I am today, alongside being a fine artist. I've worked on a variety of copy for article directories, technical copywriting for an IT software company and health related copy for a healthcare insurance company. Variety is the spice of life as they say, which I'm in total agreement with! I hope to devote more time to my art, when I have the right chance.

Exhibition of shortlisted piece, The Other Insomniac
Menier Gallery, Southwark London
25-29 Sept 2018

PREVIOUS
The Parallax Art Fair in Chelsea, London, October 2017.

D&AD Exhibition London, 2006.

Publications:

Wotisart? magazine, March 2018
Wotisart? magazine, April 2018 (published May 20th)