To help you get to know the Studio Fridays artists better, I’ve asked each of them to share three pieces of their work and answer three questions about their practice. Here is……

Helen Robinson

1. My favourite work from last year is:

2. The piece I am working on now is:

3. My favourite work ever is:

4. Who are your artist influences?

I am influenced by artists who painted light such as the 17th century Dutch landscape painters and William Turner, especially his energetic, dramatic seascapes. I also relate to paintings by Caspar David Friedrich – a Romantic landscape artist. The atmospheric Scottish marine scenes by the late Norman Ackroyd and works by the late Fred Cuming also inspire my paintings.

5. Describe your work in ten words or less:

I paint atmospheric seascapes with a strong sense of light.

6. What subjects are you most interested in?

My interest lies in travel and the sea.  Sailing  experiences have exposed me to the vagaries of weather with all its different moods – some magical, beautiful and exhilarating; others mysterious, dramatic and terrifying.  I relate to the romantic concept of the ‘sublime’ – nature can be awe-inspiring and beautiful but also hazardous and menacing.