I am an artist based in Chichester, West Sussex and Affpuddle, Dorset, on the South coast of England. I like to work in a variety of media, often using materials that I find on my daily walks around the coast. These materials might be wood (usually painted but distressed by the action of the waves); metal (perhaps wire for weaving or rusty pieces for dyeing); plastics; paper; fabric; fishing line; or other interesting items that just catch my eye.
I came to Art in a circuitous route: I grew up in rural Staffordshire but the family moved South immediately after my ‘O’ levels. After careers in banking, insurance and estate agency, and after the birth of our daughter, I decided on a change of direction and enrolled for a two year C & G course in Interior Design. At the end of the course, having gained a Distinction, and having passed my Cert Ed, I started teaching Interior Design initially in Further Education and then privately.
Later, various courses in art, textiles and printing led me to enrol for a two year stint at the beautiful West Dean College taking a Foundation Diploma in Art and Design. Inspirational tutors there include Frances Hatch, Cas Holmes, Susie Hunt, Matthew Harris, Pauline Burbidge, Jo Budd, Jilly Morris and Susan Hufton.
As I walk, I collect objects but also images that I like in their own right as well as for artistic inspiration. When I have time, I will visit with a sketchbook and record those views and objects which move me.
Family and friends tell me that I have an “eye”, and it is certainly true that I spot things that they don’t see. My grandparents were true country folk and they taught me to look: one of my favourite quotes remains:
“You see, but you do not observe.” ― Arthur Conan Doyle, A Scandal in Bohemia
Helen Frost Artist 