Helen Roy is an artist and educator living in Westerly, Rhode Island who grew up in the beautiful Berkshires.  As a self-taught artist she considers herself fortunate to have had the opportunity to fall in love with painting after 30 years as a Learning Specialist.  The artist recognizes that the first reaction to visual art is what is seen, but believes the most important response is how a painting makes the viewer feel.  Does the piece give you joy, warm your heart, or make you smile and feel positive?  When you take a painting into your home or personal space you are bringing the energy you as an individual receive from the work.  Those are the emotions and uplifting energies Helen tries to evoke in her work.

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The theme of her paintings is A Celebration of Color.  The hope being that a colorful vibrant painting can transform a down or dark emotion.  She finds it is especially satisfying to be in the middle of the urban jungle of NYC surrounded by concrete, tar, and grit and to be then able to capture the warm, refreshing and soothing colors of nature, and bring that energy into your home.  Her palette is often dominated by the colors one observes watching the sun set over the ocean: blues, greens, yellows, corals, pinks and lavenders.

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Roy’s mediums are acrylic or oil.  Some of her work consists of clean lines and geometric shapes, while other pieces are abstract seascapes or non-representational.  The artist tries to challenge expectations and perceptions by using balance, color, shapes, lines and a palette knife to encourage both movement and capture emotion.  She often includes paintings in a diptych or triptych format that encourages the eye to flow along from one canvas to the next.  Her work exists on both the surface and the body of the canvas.  She includes the edges and does not frame her work to give it a utilitarian feel. Each painting stands alone and announces itself as one enters the room. 

Mobiles, the latest adventure for Roy are inspired by the work of Calder and Mondrian and are constructed so they can take advantage of the principle of equilibrium and fly, flow and dance with the wind.  This colorful kinetic art is a continuation of her overall theme - A Celebration of Color, with each individual mobile having its own color driven theme.  Each free moving creation she has designed combines wood, acrylic paint, wires, and fishing line and the motion of the colorful vibrant abstract art floating through the moving air.

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Roy has taken classes at Rhode Island School of Design, National Academy School of Fine Arts and New York School of the Arts in New York City. In July of 2017 Helen had her first solo show at GooDBuddY Art Space in Washington DC.  She was part of a group show, "Berkshire Grown Artists" in 2018 and  2020 at the Stationery Factory Gallery in Dalton, MA. She has shown her work at Junk & Java and Tapped Apple Winery in Westerly RI. She is a member of the Artists' Cooperative Gallery of Westerly and shows her work each month at the new Westerly Train Station Gallery.  Helen has also participated in shows at Mystic Museum of Art, Norwich Art Center, South County Art Association and Brooklyn Coffee, Tea and Guest House in Providence, RI. She has sold her paintings in AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, MA, MD, NH, NJ, NY, RI, VA and DC.

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Helen's PAINTINGS are reasonably priced - please contact her if you are interested in learning more about one of her paintings and she will send a quick response.  Please know that Helen enjoys creating custom work.  If you see a design you like please reach out to her about what you have in mind.  She talks to the client about their desires and can look at pictures or videos of space, room and lighting- and loves to look at swatches of upholstery fabric to get at an idea of clients colors/concepts of the painting.  Together she and her client agree on size, color palette, design, purpose, and she creates a piece based on the individual's personal preferences.  Please do not hesitate to contact her if you are interested in a unique one of a kind painting for your home, a gift or a special place.