Helen Derbyshire finds beauty in the ordinary and overlooked — bark, hedgerows and the quiet rhythms of the landscape. Working with photography, tissue paper and stitch, her richly layered surfaces evoke growth, decay and the passage of time, celebrating the beauty of imperfection and impermanence.
Her new willow works bring this distinctive approach to the East Anglian landscape’s most familiar and evocative forms. Frequently an overlooked feature of water meadows throughout the eastern counties, the willows have been foregrounded in these pictures, providing the structure in each composition.
Helen draws using charcoal or crayon and digital photography, in combination with stitched textile and mixed media approaches, referencing domestic sewing skills and traditions. Traditional Japanese brush-painted and woodcut landscapes have always provided an inspiration - in their reverence for nature, their sense of light and space, and their focus on the beauty of simple natural forms.
Click here to view new works by Helen Derbyshire online
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About the author
Paul Vater
PAUL VATER
Paul conducts studio visits to maintain strong relationships with artists, designers and craftspeople who show their work with us. He manages the main C&C website and has developed the online shop where selected works are presented for sale.
Paul established his design company, Sugarfree, in 1990 and quickly gained a reputation for delivering fresh, effective marketing campaigns and brand identities for clients including Save the Children Fund, United Nations Association and UNHCR. Over the years those added to the roster include IPC Magazines, Arts Council England, The Roundhouse, Barbican Centre, Arts Marketing Association, Look Ahead Housing and Care, Paddington Waterside, BBC Worldwide, Commonwealth Foundation, Prestel, City of London Corporation, Baker Street Quarter, Victoria BID and the University of East Anglia.