NEWS

Fall 2024 ~ The Fall2024-Spring2025 Art In The Hall display ‘METAMORPHOSIS’ is now up at Erin Town Hall (5684 Trafalgar Rd., Hillsburgh); two of my pieces are included :)

ARTWORK

Based in Toronto and Hillsburgh, Ontario, I am a mostly self-taught artist. Breathing new life into old stuff is my passion. Stuff that is unused, unwanted, discarded. I reclaim, reuse, recycle, upcycle stuff from friends, yard sales, the street, second-hand stores, my basement and wherever.

My relationship with this stuff is ambivalent: I am appalled by the over-consumption and planned obsolescence that produces it, but at the same time, I am inspired and excited by the art possibilities of stuff that would normally be thrown out or would languish in cupboards and basement nooks for next of kin to dispose of. I hope to make a point about this wastefulness and its effect on climate change, and to do my little bit to keep some of this stuff out of the waste stream.

I enjoy taking things apart (computers, cables, electronic devices, watches, etc) to discover the treasures within. My work is largely guided by the materials I have at hand. Once they are collected, sorted and managed (haha!!), I love playing with colour, shape, texture, exploring different techniques to create moods and to express my ideas in both playful and serious ways. And then…sometimes, I like to make art just for the hell-of-it!

I have exhibited my work at Toronto Outdoor Art Fair over the years, have had a couple of solo shows, have exhibited my work in studio tours, group shows, at Petroff Gallery, The Jackalope Gallery, Gallery 1313 and Propeller Art Gallery.

PHOTOGRAPHY

I have been an amateur photographer for many years; for a number of those years I had a home darkroom for black and white developing and printing. I went digital in the 1990's and have used Canon Powershot cameras since then.

My subjects have changed very little over the years....close-ups, landscapes, nature, flowers, abstracts. I love textures, zooming in on small parts of the visual field, manipulating images.

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*If you like what you see, please follow me on Instagram (@helena.wehrstein) and Facebook :)