Helen Kerridge - Contemporary painter

Mandy Jakich
24 hours ago
2 min read

Helen Kerridge is a contemporary painter from the Hawkes Bay.

Many of Helen's paintings are set in sparse environments, with a minimal grouping of subjects. Working to small, mid, and large scale in acrylic on canvas, her works exude a sense of stillness, contemplation, and a celebration of the beauty and narratives to be found in objects.

Helen has been painting all her life, from as far back as she can remember. She started her photo realistic painting career in New Zealand and the US, touching up professional photographs before the days of Photoshop with dyes, air brushes and paint, which taught her a lot about colour theory.

In this lovely episode which I know you'll love, we talk about how her 18 year teaching career in painting started, from community classes to her private painting classes which became hugely popular in the Hawkes Bay area, and how and why she came to full time painting only 3 years ago. She shares how teaching influenced her own painting practice, pushed her out of her comfort zone and kept her learning across genres.

Helen shares her love of and connection with objects she includes in her paintings like the Crown Lynn Swan and how she likes to learn about the background and stories of these objects. She shares her love of the Old Masters of the 17th century and how they have influenced her work, and how she has created a 'point of difference' in her work with her use of simple compositions and mostly subdued tones, with the occasional addition of pattern.

I just love the little anecdotal stories Helen tells in this episode.

Helen talks us through her painting process, how she paints glass and the paints she uses, her colour and paint management, the thin layers of paint she applies, how she decides what to paint, her studio set up (which is not as organised as you'd imagine!), why she uses photographs as a guide for her photo realistic paintings, her poratit training she experienced in 2019 and why she prefers to use acrylic paint.

Helen talks enthusiastically about the loaded symbolism in her "The Devil Is In the Details" painting, which was made for a Hospice fundraiser and sold for $40,000, as well as the symbols and narratives in other works.

Nga mihi thank you to Helen Kerridge for sharing your incredible practice and career on Creative Connections. Your work is such a joy to view and it's been wonderful to learn more about your ideas, process and the connections you make. And a big thank you to you for tuning in today.