Helen musselwhite biography
I’m a paper artist based in the North West of England.
For me, it all started with one of those bumper packs of felt tips. One of my earliest memories is of tearing open Christmas wrapping paper to find a vivid array of coloured pens inside – then immediately rearranging the colours in a way that pleased me better. That was it; I was off on a voyage of creative discovery that continues to this day.
A love of art sustained me through school and it felt the most natural thing in the world to study graphic design and illustration after leaving. Since then, my creative ventures have embraced decorative furniture, jewellery and painting – all of which I’ve deeply enjoyed but which have since been eclipsed by my affinity with paper; the medium that was patiently waiting for me all along.
The more I work with paper, the more I find I can do with it.
As you’ll gather from my work, a lot of my inspiration comes from the British countryside. The beauty of it never ceases to amaze me and, happily, I’m well placed to observe it, living as I do just south of Manchester with one foot in the urban landscape and the other in the countryside. Walking my dog gives me the opportunity to see how my surroundings change from day to day – it’s an unending source of pleasure.
All in all, I consider myself very lucky to be where I am, doing something I love. And I hope that shows in my work.
- Audi
- McDonalds
- Leon Resturants
- Manchester Museum
- Cadburys
- Nokia
- Liberty of London
- Penguin Random House
- Woodland Trust
- The National Trust
- Rayban
- The National Theatre
- Waterstones
- Stella McCartney
- BBC Philharmonic
- Royal Mail
- Hoegaarden
- T2
- hester Zoo
- Molton Brown
It’s versatile, cost effective and readily available. You don’t need expensive tools or vast amounts technical knowledge to work with it – a pencil, scalpel and glue and lots of ideas are all that’s required!
A very frequently asked question, and I still don’t really know is the answer! Helen Musselwhite
2022 Paper Artist: Helen Musselwhite
The James Cropper Wainwright Prize is delighted to introduce its paper artist for 2022: Helen Musselwhite.
Helen is a creator of enchanting paper artistry, forging flora and fauna creations with beguiling craftiness. There is a humbleness to the way she crafts out of this one raw, natural and modest material; it is a pastoral resourcefulness, an offering back to nature. Creating inherently shares a link to nature – to things grown and made.
We were lucky enough to meet Helen at our shortlists shoot and managed to grab her for a quick-fire interview which we are thrilled to share with you all. We were ecstatic to meet the person behind the stunning artwork!
Helen writes:
“As you’ll gather from my work, a lot of inspiration comes from the British countryside. The beauty of it never ceases to amaze me and, happily, I’m well placed to observe it.”
– How did you come to work with paper?
I started working with paper after I made a large tracing paper angel for a Christmas shop window display about 20 years ago. I loved the way I could score, fold, curl and layer the paper to give depth and dimension. After tracing paper, I worked just with white paper.
After a while, I started to add colour, subtle at first then full on! I also like to use tones of a single colour which is one of the reasons this was such a great project to work on. The paper I used, from James Cropper, was a joy to work with. Lovely saturated colours and tones and great to manipulate.
– How long does a typical project take? Can you describe the process?
It’s so hard to say how long a project takes from start to finish, I never count the hours! I have deadlines to meet so there is a specific amount of time, but how many hours within that time is hard to quantify, so let’s just say a lot, my process is time-consuming…
– Do you think your current environment, as well as the environment in w .