Helen Ashmead, a painter, and printmaker, explores the natural world through various mediums, blending realism with symbolic representations to evoke emotional, mental, and spiritual states of perception.
Her journey as a fine artist began with childhood art classes at the Cummer Museum, followed by high school classes with Memphis Wood. She earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University ofConnecticut and pursued graduate studies in oil painting at Yale University’s Rudolf Zallinger at the Hartford Art School.
Subjects she prefers include flowers, landscapes, animals, birds, and angels. While most of her works are representational, she also delves into abstraction, often employing strong, pure colors evoking feelings of joy and light.
“It has been many years since I leafed through my mother’s art book and reveled in Monet’s Field of Poppies. At age seven I wantedto create paintings as beautiful as this.
Less than two decades later I wondered what waited for us beyond the grave, if anything, and that was when I started delving into metaphysics,” said Ashmead.
She is now writing a narrative memoir titled, ‘The Angel Seekers Guide to the Universe’ about all she has read and experienced in life noting, “I knew many, many years ago that there is somuch more to life than what we encounter with our limited, physical senses.”
Although she has received awards for her work, she finds the greatest reward in knowing collectors have chosen her pieces for their personal enjoyment.
Based in her home studio along the St. Johns River, Helen Ashmead is an active member of several local artistic organizations and is available for presentations, lectures, individual and group workshops, as well as demonstrations. To view her work or to contact her, please visit Helenashmead.com.
