James Helen

By Cam Kennedy
Special to the Standard-Freeholder
20 April 2016

The art of local painter Helen James was featured at Joan Levy Earle's Art Studio April 22-23, 2016.

This is the second year in which Earle has hosted a local artist to show off their work. A very successful showing featuring artist Alyssa Blais took place last spring.

"Art is something I have always been interested in, even as a child," James said. "My parents always encouraged me by buying me (art) materials. When I was in my late
teens, I started painting things that I liked and appealed to me."

James was born and raised in Preston, England. She immigrated to Canada with her husband, Norman, in 1983. Her paintings on display at the gallery include scenes from England and local scenes like the Port Theatre and downtown Cornwall.

The process of painting usually starts off with James noticing a scene she likes.

"I will see scenes in person or in books or the Internet," she said. "I'm looking at it with my eyes thinking, would this make a nice picture that I would like to put in
my room?"

James also pairs her love of classical music, specifically Beethoven, as some of the first scenes she started to paint.

"I have a lot of books about the life of Beethoven and painted the portraits (of him). I guess that's how I started off painting things a little more in detail."

Her paintings are done mostly in watercolour and oil, with her work featured before in judged shows at the Cornwall Art Gallery. She was also recognized in the Art Ascent magazine in 2015.

"Ear1e hopes to build off the success of her show last year for this year's edition.

"I guess it is the fact of having studio and being able to encourage someone who's work I real admire," she said. " I've bee watching Helen's development and I thought it was time for people to see what a good artist she is."