Sue Helmot is an emerging artist, living and working in the remote Gascoyne region of Western Australia.  An interest in capturing both the wild and cultivated landscapes of the Gascoyne is evident in Sue’s recent paintings.  In 2018 Sue partnered with the Gascoyne Food Council of WA as their artist in residence.  This culminated in Sue’s first solo exhibition ‘From the Source: a Landscape of Food‘ later that year.  This partnership has been a great success, with the residency extended into 2019 as Sue busily works on a major body of paintings for a second solo show ‘Frontier of Food‘ in August.  Sue is also currently progressing other work as part of her full-time arts practice.

Sue Helmot began her career as an artist in Melbourne completing a Bachelor of Arts (majoring in ceramics) at Victoria College.  Sue taught ceramics and worked in the field of community and public art before the lure of adventure pulled Sue from Melbourne’s art scene and into the remote landscape of the Gascoyne region.

“When I relocated to the Gascoyne over a decade ago, the vast semi-arid landscape heightened my senses and inspired me to explore a fresh approach to my arts practice.  An urge to interpret my new surroundings and express my love of colour with unbridled freedom, was the catalyst for a transformation from being a ceramic artist to becoming a painter.  I am in awe of the raw beauty, sheer scale and many layers of the Gascoyne landscape.  It has a wild energy that I find difficult to describe in words but can readily express with paint.

Spending time peacefully immersed in observing colour and contours of the landscape stimulates the beginning of my art making process.  This gives me space to interpret and respond to my feelings with paint, to express what I am seeing through a pared-down gaze.  Capturing this relatively unknown part of Australia’s Northwest is a quest which continues to inspire my work.  I will never tire of painting it”. – Sue Helmot

Sue Helmot’s work has been exhibited in solo and group shows throughout WA and Melbourne since 2010.  Sue has been commissioned by private collectors in Melbourne and Western Australia.