Helen Becker

Helen Becker
Lamy, New Mexico, USA

STATEMENT

My process of collaging is a mechanical one of visualizing how pieces come together to create a whole image. Like an experiment, there is freedom to connect things that did not belong together a second ago, but do now. When cutting or tearing appropriately sized and shaped pieces, I challenge the accuracy of my spatial judgment. Collage sometimes hides artistic decisions. Witnessing layers of materials building up, I like to shelter these secrets.

I rely on acrylic painted rice paper in solid colors or patterns. Also utilized are string, fabric, foil, and other assorted textured materials. I also use the inside of security envelopes which have patterns used to hide the contents in those envelopes. Discovering over 40 kinds of patterns and values in greys, blues and aquas, I have cataloged the selections using a grey scale and often use these materials in the shadows and backdrops of my still lives.

My collages revolve around settings where I can imagine and directly affect the interplay of objects and light. It allows the inventive spirit to discover how shadows and shading assist in describing things. I like to make those shadows, dancing behind objects, play just as important a part in the collage painting as the objects themselves. The shading where light is absent defines these forms, too.

The importance of light and dark in what we all see is immense. The devices of changing light, shadow and shading create a complex narrative for these collages.

BIO

Helen Becker’s art adventures began while growing up in northeast Ohio. Being creative seemed to be a necessity. Pencils, crayons, scissors and glue were tools for every kind of invention. After receiving a liberal arts degree from the College of Wooster, she moved west to experience mountain living. In addition to her fondness for the mountains, she appreciated the red rocks of Moab, Utah, where she lived for 15 years. While there, she was a founding board member of Gallery Moab and acted as their treasurer.

During all of this time, Becker’s art self has been defined by practicing art, attending workshops, teaching, reading and journaling. Becker regularly exhibits with the National Collage Society and the International Society of Experimental Artists where she is a Signature Member. She has won awards with the National Collage Society in 2022 and 2024. Her artwork is in private collections across the United States.

Currently, she and her husband, Jim, live in Lamy, New Mexico (near Santa Fe), with their tabby cat, Lockey. As they travel in their camper van to locations in the U.S. and Canada, Becker sketches with charcoal and pencil, never leaving her art practice at home while she develops new ideas for future collages.

ARTIST CONTACT

EMAIL | WEBSITE

IMAGES