April Gallery Reception
April 4, 2027
1:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Gallery 1-
Gallery 2- Helen Harris
Terra & Tide: A Sense of Place
Artist Biography:
Helen Harris grew up in upstate New York, where the fields, lakes, and brooks of her childhood instilled a lasting love of nature-an influence that remains at the heart of her art.
She earned a BFA in Graphic Design from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia and began her career in commercial art. In New York City, Helen worked with DC Comics, contributed to freelance projects, and taught classes, creating everything from coloring books to spot illustrations. Her career later expanded into signage and display work in New Jersey.
After settling in New Jersey to raise her three daughters, Helen turned her focus toward painting. Over the years, she has explored watercolor, acrylics, oils and mixed media. While her subjects range from seascapes and florals to abstracts, landscapes remain her deepest inspiration, reflecting the natural beauty she first experienced as a child.
“My art is rooted in memory,” Helen explains. “As a child, I walked the fields, played in the lakes and brooks, and hiked hillsides. The tactile excitement of those moments is what I want to capture and share with my collectors.”
Her early recognition came through innovative mixed-media works that combined rice papers, textured gels, watercolor, gouche, and collage. Travels across the United States, especially to the West Coast, have further shaped her evolving style. In recent years, Helen has embraced a disciplined daily practice, mainly working in oils, to continue her artistic exploration.
For more than 50 years, Helen’s award-winning work has been exhibited in galleries and outdoor shows along the East Coast. Her landscapes and seascapes capture both the grandeur of Western mountains and the serenity of Eastern shorelines, earning praise from collectors for her use of texture and color to reimagine familiar scenes.
Artist Statement:
My artistic journey began with a foundation in graphic design, rooted in the stark methodical principles of Bauhaus and the restraints of black-and-white minimalism. Yet, that discipline left me searching for something more-something vibrant, expressive and tactile.
For over fifty years, I have explored that search through watercolor, mixed media, acrylic and oils. In painting, I discovered my truest voice. Loose brushwork and the use of palette knives allow me to build richly textured surfaces, where layers of color and movement bring each piece to life. Walter Sickert’s advice-“Start like a bricklayer, end like a jeweler”-guides my process. I begin with broad, confident strokes to establish form and value, then refine with smaller shapes and finish with luminous accents that create energy and depth.
My subjects arise from a daily practice of sketching and close observation of the world around me. Landscapes and seascapes, in particular, are not simply recorded but reimagined in the sanctuary of my studio. They become visual expressions of memory, emotion, and atmosphere.
I am drawn to the scenes that stir a response through light, color, and contrast. It is the elemental energy of these places-the sense of vitality and presence-that compels me to translate them onto canvas.
Pop Up- Fran Van Ostrand
Francine Van Ostrand is a mixed media and fibre artist. She has always enjoyed art of any kind and after graduating from Manchester Regional High School in Haledon , New Jersey went to Newark School of Fine and Industrial Art for a three year course in Art and Textiles. Upon graduating she was employed in New York City as a textile artist then formed her own freelance business named Van Ostrand Enterprises.
After almost 40 years in the textile business painting designs for fabric, home furnishings and kitchen ware she retired. She then joined the Ocean County Artists Guild and took many classes there trying to find her nitch! Finally taking a class with a lovely lady who introduces her her to abstract art and collage. She has been doing abstract art, collage and over the last few years has introduced fibre art to the mix. Francine has since entered many shows, had a few of her own solo shows and won many awards.
Francine’s art has incorporated everything from paint, paper, ink, all kinds of collage material and tea bags! Tea bags have been a substantial part of her art for many years and she still uses them.. Now she also incorporates slow stitching to the mix and a lot of color!
Francine is now stepping back a bit from larger pieces of art and is enjoying creating smaller pieces with the same enthusiasm she has always had.
Members Theme: “Awesome Architecture”
