ABOUT THE ARTIST
Helen Dannelly studied painting at San Francisco State University and sculpture at the University of Minnesota. She has worked in encaustic (pigmented beeswax with resin) which she enjoys because of its versatility as it can be used in sculpture, painting and can mimic some printmaking techniques. An award-winning artist, Dannelly’s work has been shown at Slate Contemporary in Oakland, California, Addington Gallery in Chicago, Illinois, Kolman & Pryor Gallery in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Adam Peck Gallery in Provincetown, MA, and many other venues throughout the US. Her work is currently available through Alma Art and Interiors in Chicago and will be on display in Paris, France in October, 2023.
Dannelly is the co-founder of Catalyst Art Lab, an artists' membership community and online art school offering courses in painting, printmaking, sculpture, color theory and more. She is curator at the Forshey Gallery, 77 W. Washington Street (second floor of the Chicago Temple) in Chicago.
She offers in-person workshops in southwest France, Ireland, New Orleans, and California.
THE WORK
I am interested in metamorphosis as a natural phenomenon as well as an interpersonal phenomenon.
My work is inspired by the natural world: plant and sea life. My realistic paintings attempt to capture the effects of light. And my abstract paintings resemble water, shadows, and leafy branches. My sculpture is nature-referential rather than replication; the pieces resemble objects in nature, but they are unique abstractions. I feel a spiritual connection with
I have created mixed-media coral sculptures for "The Coral Project", a two person exhibition highlighting the effect of climate change on coral reefs. "The Coral Project" was written up in the Chicago Tribune.