Contact: helmericks@mac.com Travel and Life Blog: http://roadtriphelmericks-louder.blogspot.com/
I am a maker of things--all kinds of things including: art textiles, paintings and drawings. From childhood, my experience of the earth formed my most inner personal landscape and art-making became my act of inquiry. I still most often begin my work with summer on-location drawings (http://roadtriphelmericks-louder.blogspot.com/) as direct contact with the land is essential for authentic experience. But most importantly, being on the land gives me joy; it fills me up. Winters find me making large studio works and teaching a few university art classes. This exchange with other artists is also a pleasure and balances my solitary time in the studio. I work in many styles and mediums as each has its unique voice and range of exploration. This past year I have found my work becoming quite abstract as I focus more closely on color, texture, and pattern and also on experiences that sometimes go beyond words and images. But I also love storytelling. When I see something.... ‘true’, I may not know why it feels this way, but I must reach out and try to capture it. My ‘stories’, often involving nature, reveal close intimacy and also uncover unresolved schisms; they question established hierarchies. So again, welcome and thank you for your interest. Come in and explore.