One of the most talented watercolor artists I have come across, Helena
Nelson-Reed’s works are deeply emotional and imaginative, drawing to
the canvas the color-scapes of the inner mind.
I still remember
the first time that I came across a watercolor print by Helena
Nelson-Reed. On my lunch break, I happened to step inside a small gift
shop on the main drag of San Rafael. In the card section, I noticed
Nelson-Reed’s Path of the Shape Shifter
(pictured above) almost immediately. Since then, I have been
consistently blown away by her mastery of her medium- It takes a great
amount of skill, dedication and internal vision to be able to create the
compositions that she puts to the page- even more so to make them look
as effortless as she does. She has said herself that “I'm
a simple person. My imagery communi-cates a personal interpretation of
archetype, dream, and life experience. It flows from the heart, often
almost creating itself as I move into and through the work. Some
dimensions are not readily apparent. I love that beauty exists in nature
for no reason at all, and in this spirit sometimes give voice to a
vision or dream by painting or writing about it, simply because the act
of doing so, the color, and line pleases something within.”
As of yet, Helena Nelson-Reed’s
artwork is only available through internet art dealers or on seasonal
cards and calendars. It is my great hope that one day she puts together a
bound book of her art.
Coincidentally, Nelson-Reed was actually raised in Marin County (perhaps I just have a thing for Bay Area artists... see Sylvia Ji).
One of the biggest things that I admire about Nelson-Reed is that she
is largely self-taught as an artist; her educational history is one in
psychology. She uses her artwork to explore the psychology of the soul,
“in the tradition of Carl Jung and Joseph Campbell.”- helenanelsonreed.com.
Please support this artist by buying her work. Links are listed below.
