HELEN ROWLANDS ~ felt artist
Helen grew up on the south coast of England, but has lived on Prince Edward Island, Canada since 2017.
Art, in its many guises, had always been a large part of her life, but music was also a constant from a very early age and ultimately it was music that won and Helen went on to be a very successful professional double bass player.
At the age of 23 she won a much coveted full time position with the BBC Symphony Orchestra in London, England, a position she held for nearly 20 years. She has performed, toured and recorded extensively with most of the world’s top conductors and soloists and has played numerous times in all the major concert halls around the globe.
After leaving the BBCSO, Helen continued to work, tour and record for many years with the Philharmonia, London Philharmonic, London Symphony and Royal Philharmonic Orchestras. She has taken part in countless radio and television broadcasts, recorded over 200 CDs and played on soundtracks for numerous blockbuster films,and has two platinum discs.
Since moving to PEI, Helen’s artistic and creative talents have been taking other paths - 2D and 3D felting is her current passion. Although she was taught the basic rudiments of “painting” as a child and has many proficient artists as ancient ancestors, as an artist herself she is primarily self-taught. Coloured wool has taken the place of paint, a needle replaces the brush and a piece of individually and uniquely wet felted wool is the canvas. Helen’s inspiration comes mostly from her imagination but she also draws from anything around her that catches her eye. Helen’s work is currently in private collections in Canada, US, UK, Ireland and the EU.
She is a member of the “International Felt-makers Association”
“The inspiration for my work is a delicate balance between observation and imagination. The juxtaposition of unlikely and unorthodox colours is where I find my joy and satisfaction and whilst attention to detail is still paramount what I most appreciate when creating my art is total freedom of expression.”