Since the age of six, art has been the defining element of Helen Casey-MacDuff’s life. It’s formed her career as an art teacher and professional artist; it’s been a healing tool through tough times; and now it’s a way for her to support and engage with her local community.
The Ngatea-based artist is one of this year’s entrants in the annual ART Waikino exhibition, taking place over Labour Weekend at Waikino Hall. She said events like ART Waikino were important in helping to encourage, empower and grow small community creatives.
“Being creative is not just about sitting in your studio painting, it’s about engaging with community,” she said.
“There is always space for creatives. Especially in education, I would see a lot of young people that that’s their passion, and yet there wasn’t always an opportunity for them to exhibit or to put it out there and celebrate who they are.
“And I think little things like this are a good opportunity for people.”
Helen described her own works as “semi-abstract”, although she was quick to admit they could be difficult to define.
“I like to portray movement and energy. So as much as I love fine details and creating realistic elements that draw in your eye, there will also be areas of abstraction and more ambiguous space that doesn’t detract from those little points of emphasis,” she said.
“A lot of people will look at my work and say it looks kind of ethereal and a little bit spiritual, but I find it really difficult to articulate it. I’m still on a bit of a process of finding my voice.”
Helen’s entry into the exhibition is an oil painting titled Sail Away. The muted painting, swathed in greens and blues, was one of a series of images created while she nursed her late husband, Myles, through his battle with motor neuron disease.
“It’s got a little sailboat in it, and it’s sailing out of the storm into a different, like a safer harbour,” she said.
“[It] has a lot of personal kind of symbolism… losing my husband and trying to find my way out of all that pain. At the time I didn’t know what I was doing, I was just painting, and now I know what it means. And yet, it’s not really a sad painting, it’s just more of a reflective thing.”
The style is a change from her previous focus on more realistic, forest-based and political scenes, she said.
“When I was going through that stuff with Myles, I couldn’t do dark or use black anymore. I had to do things that were bringing light into the home and happiness, so I went to all those blues and healing sorts of colours. That was just a natural response,” she said.
“And now I’m just trying to, yeah, see what I can do, experiment with some other palettes and see if they’re still authentic to me.”
This intuitive, explorative way of painting is just one way to approach creativity, Helen said, and that’s what she loves about open exhibitions such as ART Waikino.
“Art is a visual language. There’s always something original and new ways to say things. [And] a community-run event like this is a good start, it will help build confidence for people.
“And I’ve seen there’s all sorts of works there. Whether you like abstracts or photographic realism, at a community event like that, there’ll be something for everybody.”
DETAILS: ART Waikino art exhibition, October 25-27, 10am-4pm at Waikino Victoria Hall, 8559 State Highway 2. Entry by koha and all artworks will be for sale.
