Did you know that 99.9% of our merchandise in the gallery is made in the USA, Canada and locally? We carry a few lines made in Italy, France, and Spain.

We have a some items made in Guatemala, India and South Africa which are under the Fair Trade Federation ensuring fair wages and good working conditions. Some of our lines pay it forward to health, food and global organizations here and around the world.

We also carry many items that are eco friendly, organic and promote social good that are NOT sold on Amazon.

AND many women owned companies!

Here are just a few... but when you click on the artists category if there is a story to tell we will tell it there.

Blue Q is a company where items are made in the USA, India and China, They are located in Massachusetts and hire a number of people with disabilities. They are two brothers who treat their employees very well and give back 1% off all sales to Doctors Without Borders and hunger relief programs throughout the world. Since 2014 to date they have donated over $1,000,000 to Doctors Without Borders!!

Conscious Step Socks- not only does every purchase empower the causes you care about in support of a better world, we’ve done better at every step in our production process, so you can feel great about your new favorite socks.

https://consciousstep.com/pages/impact

Basic Spirit is made in Canada

10% OF PROFITS FUND CHARITABLE PROJECTS - PLEASE REFER TO "OUR GIVING"

https://basicspirit.com/our-giving

Thumbprint Hand painted candles

https://www.thumbprintartifacts.com/pages/about-fair-trade-and-our-partners

Helen Harris Paintings

Store / ARTWORK / Helen Harris Paintings

Artist Statement

My journey in art began with a foundation in graphic design, emphasizing the stark, methodical principles of Bauhaus and black and white minimalism. However, this initial foray left me searching for something more—something vibrant, something textural.

Over the past 50 years, I have dedicated my practice to the exuberant exploration of color and texture, venturing into watercolor, mixed media, acrylic, and oils. It is within a painterly approach that I discovered my true voice as an artist. Loose brushwork and knife applications in oils have allowed me to craft the richly textural surfaces that characterize my current work. Walter Sickert’s advice, “Start like a bricklayer, end like a jeweler,” resonates deeply with me. It informs the structure of my work. I begin with broad, confident strokes to establish the values and composition, then refine these with smaller negative shapes, culminating in bright, accentuated touches applied with a palette knife.

My subjects are drawn from an ever-present practice of daily sketching and acute observation of the landscapes and seascapes that surround me. These scenes are not merely replicated, but reimagined and transformed in the sanctuary of my studio.

I am drawn to particular scenes by their inherent ability to evoke an emotional response—aided by intriguing light, vibrant colors, and dynamic contrasts. It is the elemental energy of these places that captivates and compels me to capture them on canvas.

About the Artist

As a graduate of The University of the Arts, (Philadelphia College of Art) with a BFA degree in Graphic Design, Helen began her career in the commercial arts.

Early employment in New York City with DC Comics, followed by a variety of freelance and teaching assignments ranging from coloring books to spot illustrations later evolved to include employment in signage and display with ColorCraft Signs in New Jersey.

Originally from upstate New York, Helen relocated to New Jersey and raised three daughters. Graphic design assignments gave way over the years to a renewed interest in painting.
Helen's paintings in watercolor, acrylics, mixed media and oil have included landscapes,seascapes,florals and abstracts, yet the subject matter that continually beckons her is landscape.

"I have walked the fields and played in the lakes,brooks and hiked the hillsides as a child and it was the remembrance and love of the tactile excitement of that experience that I wanted to focus on and share with my art collectors."

Helen originally was noted for the three dimensional use of rice papers,torn paper and textured gels combined with watercolor, gouache on paper. Always willing to risk change and learn, her travels cross country to the West coast, have influenced her work .

Currently, Helen has been engaged in the "dailypaintwork " process. Working at her easel or sketching outdoors, each day of work has pushed her to new levels of her study. These paintings now mainly in oils, are a reflection of that daily experience.

Helen's award winning work has been exhibited in numerous outdoor shows and galleries on the East coast over the last 30 years representing her interpretations of the mountains of the West coast to the beaches of the Eastern coastline.

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