Helen Turner

Helen has successfully been teaching painting and drawing for 20 years. She has a BA Hons in painting from Canterbury College of Art (1986) and Postgraduate Diploma, from Cyprus College of Art (1990). In 2002 Helen was selected for the John Moores painting prize; 2011 was included in the touring show About Painting with a published book, and in 2012 she had a solo show at the Eagle Gallery. In 2014-16 the artist was represented by Wilson Stephens and Jones Gallery. In 2013 all of Helen's work was destroyed in a studio fire in Lewes and it was after this that Helen started to work in a different way using a wide range of materials, experimenting and finding new and exciting ways to make work.

Helen is also teaching short courses at the West Dean London Bloomsbury campus. (Please see the link in the Short Courses toolbar on the website)

Describe your approach to teaching:
My approach to teaching is intuitive, instinctive, passionate and full of fun. What I experience and learn from making my own work I then share with students in a direct way. I teach students how to be expressive with all materials together, whilst acknowledging the importance of drawing, form and content, and encourage them to develop their own natural and intuitive way of working.

What inspires your own work?
Inspiration for my own work comes from the excitement of colours, textures and experimentation, together with my love of nature, clothes and fashion, to create my own world. Painting is a constant discovery of the inner and outer world.