Helen Komene Art
Seascapes | Landscapes | Pawtraits | Portraits

I'm almost sure I was born with a pencil in my hand.  My strongest memory was at the age of 6 or 7,  my mom brought home a large set of Caran D'Ache coloured pencils.  I wasn't allowed to touch them so when she wasn't looking I'd sneak into her desk and secretly open the tin and marvel over all the beautiful colours. I think I pestered her so much that she finally gave in and let me use them and my love of colour started there.

When art was a hobby, I found that Western Australia was an irresistible source of inspiration and my art oftened reflected my favourite camping or fishing spots  

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Whether bush or beach, I tried to reveal the elements that made these locations truly unique

These days  I paint for my customers and each artwork has certainly helped me grow and mature my style

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I've painted an olympic sailing boat, a mining truck, almost every beach north and south of WA's coastline and many, many breeds of fur baby!

My work has a contemporary realism and has often been described as photographic

I believe this is because I always try to capture the transition from light and shadow to define dramatic contrasts and compositions

Direct observation plays a central role in my creative process - although I use photos as a reference source back in my home studio. 

While my husband is fishing, I'm studying the water, he sometimes thinks I'm a little nuts, but simply watching allows me to make mental notes.

I work in soft pastels for two reasons:

When I apply the pigment with my fingers to a canvas, their velvety, buttery qualities are a joy to work with

Also, their rich and vibrant colours allow me to create a contemporary realism that has often been described as photographic, yet when viewed up close each artwork reveals my raw strokes and the texture of soft pastels

Once I’ve decided what to paint, the preparation process before painting is critical. In fact I spend just as much time thinking and planning my painting as I do at the easel.

I take time sketching and deciding the composition. I then pick my colours and test how they will sit side by side so that I find a luminous colour harmony.

I use acid free mount board as this provides a sturdy canvas. I then apply primer, either using a large paint brush or a roller - the choice of application depends on what type of under painting effect I want to create in the painting.

The primer provides a fine tooth, much like sand paper, that allows the pastel to grip the paper