Artist Helen Dannelly on ‘Coming Alive’ and Contemplating Water Exhibit
The Second Floor Temple Gallery houses seven paintings and seven small sculptures by church member and award-winning artist Helen Dannelly. They are all part of a solo exhibition called “Contemplating Water”, co-sponsored by the Chicago Temple Art Committee and Environmental Justice Task Force.
With titles like Underwater Blues, Sea Glow I and Spring Waters, the connection to the theme is clear. The medium – alcohol ink – is unusual, flowing liquid forms accented by bright colors and subtle textures. They are a product of the techniques that Helen employs, which are themselves a product of her evolution as an artist.
“My work is very influenced by nature,” Helen explains. “I like to take long walks and I collect seed pods, stones, and look at leaves and the shapes their shadows make on the sidewalk—the way light can change the look and color of the landscape.”
“When I’m in nature I feel closest to God.”
“I’m a preacher’s kid,” she explains, “My Dad was a theologian—he read all the time, spoke many languages and held many degrees.
“I took that kind of academic thinking with me when I went to college. Even though art was something that really moved me, I didn’t study art because to me it was fun, but wasn’t considered academic.”
Once Helen had graduated, she felt she could justify exploring art in greater depth. She began taking classes and building her skills. Again, though, she encountered challenges. Some were internal:
“I used to think art was selfish because I enjoyed it so much and it was such a solitary endeavor,” Helen explains. “I didn’t think that it helped people — and a good Christian girl is trained to think of others.
“But just a few years ago, I read a quote by Theologian Howard Thurman who said ‘Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.’”
Her faith was key to overcoming some of her hesitation.
“We’re all made in the image of our Creator, and because of that, our drive to create is in an important part of who we are. It’s the Divine spirit. All of us are constantly evolving, exploring and creating. I realized it’s something to be celebrated.”
Helen also had her critics, some of whom helped foster doubts she had about her work and the personal style she was working to develop.
“Criticism of early concepts can be really damaging,” she says, “An artist need to put up some self-protective walls and turn down the negative voices of others so they can hear their own voice.”
One experience she describes as helpful in quieting her doubts was a visit to a museum dedicated to Picasso – the Musee Picasso in Paris. Here, Helen says she was able to see the breadth of the artist’s work, which was much wider than the masterpieces for which he is best known. She saw Picasso’s willingness to experiment with painting, sculpture, drawing – anything he so desired. She was impressed with the fact that Picasso created work including everything from realistic fine oil portraits to abstract metal sculptures to works comprised of found objects such as a she-goat made of wood, cement and metal.
“Seeing Picasso’s studio was incredibly validating in that it made me realize that other artists also work in multiple mediums – that they can do what they want with the materials that move them. We don’t need to limit ourselves to one medium.”
Helen has taken this realization to heart, producing work that uses materials ranging from ink to bronze to beeswax.
The paintings on display in the Temple gallery were created by working flat on a wide table and pouring alcohol-based inks onto a synthetic paper made of recyclable plastic, then manipulating it with a hair dryer. The absence of brushstrokes or straight lines make them look like images seen through or even from within water. Helen describes the process of painting the large works as “a gestural dance between the artist and the materials.”
Her sculptures on display are mostly encaustic – an ancient painting medium of beeswax and resin – resulting in complex, organic shapes that would seem right at home in a sheltered tide-pool or a coral reef. There is one bronze sculpture, “Deep Sea Pod”, included in the display.
“I feel fortunate that I have been doing this long enough that I have many ways to express myself creatively, “ Helen explains.
“Anyone who has the urge to create should heed that desire. It is the still small voice within, it comes from the Divine, and it is very powerful. You never know where it will lead or who it will speak to”.