“It’s Still Life”

Helen Rawlins paints from a limited range of everyday crockery. Playing with ideas of repetition and rearranging, she uses the same objects over and over, combining them into paintings and drawings that reveal the material poetics of the mundane and the everyday. They become metaphors for our relationships or interaction through shifting perspectives, the commonplace as containers for meaning - gathered together as piled masses or staggered as onlookers. Examining differences in the way paint behaves on surfaces - canvas, board or paper - Rawlins is trying to control, to a certain extent, the uncontrollable fluidity of the paint on the surface.  The anxiety of the process being in tune with the sense of apprehension or unease that can be portrayed though the composition of objects.

Biography

Helen Rawlins studied Fine Art at Wimbledon College of Art (BA Hons 1^st class).  Her exhibitions include: November 2022: ING Discerning Eye Exhibition; July 2021: Figurative Art Now; November 2021: ING Discerning Eye Exhibition; February 2020: Organ Thing/Cultivate exhibition; Framed, Wandsworth, Garratt Lane banner; October 2019: Autumn Fair, Landmark Arts Centre; June 2019, Mayfair Art Weekend at Grosvenor chapel; May 2019, Affordable Art Fair, Hampstead; April 2019, Fresh Art Fair, Cheltenham; September 2018, "Sensibilities of Belonging", Mall Galleries, London with NoonPowell Fine Art; January 2018, Group Show, "Abode", Little Venice, with NoonPowell Fine Art; June 2017 Solo show, "It's Still Life", Sawmills, Earlsfield; 2016, ING Discerning Eye Exhibition; 2016, The Sunday Times Watercolour Competition; 2015, Oil & Water Gallery; 2014, National Open Art Competition, Embankment Gallery, Somerset House; 2014, Oil & Water Gallery; 2013, ‘Illumination’, Chapter House, Merton Arts Trail; 2012, ‘News from Nowhere’, Chapter House, Merton Arts Trail; 2011, Shortlisted for National Open Art Competition; 2011, ‘Post Script’, Chapter House, Merton Arts Trail; 2011, Produced book for Terry Smith ‘naming the dead’ exhibited during ‘Soundings’ at the 54th Venice Biennale; 2010, Rhizomatic; group show, Departure Gallery; 2010, ‘Propositions’ group show, ICA, London; 2010, Battersea Art Fair; 2010, Film/Video/Performance, Wimbledon Space; 2009, Jerwood Drawing Prize 2009 touring exhibition.

She continues to live and work in London. In addition to her own work, she assisted international artist Terry Smith with art projects that have been held at the ICA and BFI in London, and with Venice Agendas at the Venice Biennale between 2009-2015.