HELEN TABOR

Helen has lived in the Scottish Borders for the past twenty years with her partner and three children. Her paintings are very much inspired by her surroundings, in particular the rural Borders countryside and the soft seascapes of south west Scotland. Her use of medium is expressive in style so that her subjects are to some extent secondary to the movement of paint and the use of colour. While this gives an energy to the paintings they also have a feeling of calmness and simplicity, evoking the gentle ebb and flow of tides and the steady passing of seasons.

Helen explains: 'I usually start with a background of collage which creates a textured, patterned effect on which I can build my painting.  I work with large brushes, applying the paint boldly initially and then refining the image as I develop the painting. Using a collage base gives depth and takes me in interesting directions so that the painting is often led by the interaction between the paint and what is underneath'.

After graduating from York University in 1981 Helen travelled and worked in India and Bhutan for several years before returning to gain a post graduate certificate in education. She took up a teaching post in North Yorkshire which was followed by a return to Bhutan to teach at the Paro High School. Helen now paints full-time and has exhibited widely throughout the U.K. over the past twenty years, becoming one of Scotland's most popular and exciting landscape artists.

Selected Exhibitions:

2013 Borders Artists at Duns Castle with Art Amatoria; Marine House at Beer, Devon, Solo Show; Gullane Art Gallery, East Lothian; Albion Gallery, Oxfordshire

2012 Morningside Gallery, Edinburgh; Thompson's Gallery, London; Gallery 41, Somerset ; Fraser Gallery, St Andrews

2011 Marine House at Beer, Devon, Two Man Show; Visual Arts Scotland at the RSA, awarded the Lily Macdougal Prize; Solo exhibition with Art Amatoria, Edinburgh

2010 Royal Scottish Academy Annual Show; Morningside Gallery, Edinburgh; Mellerstain House, Summer Exhibition; Frames Gallery, Perth

2009 Thompson's Gallery, Marylebone, London, Scottish Show

2008 The Green Gallery, Aberfoyle, 'Intimate landscapes'; Thompson's Gallery, Aldeburgh, Summer Show; Thompson's Gallery, London, Three Man Show