Local artist on display at military museum

A LOCAL artist will be exhibiting her work at Aldershot Military Museum for the rest of the year, after debuting the work at Westbury Music and Arts Festival.

Helen Chester’s  ‘Everyday Tommy’ exhibition is a collection of dramatic portraits depicting those who went to war and those who were deeply affected by it. The curator at the military museum approached Helen to have her work displayed as part of First World War commemorations.

Helen said, “I am delighted to have been given the opportunity to show my work in a place like Aldershot with its rich military history.

“The recent private viewing was also a great opportunity for me to gauge feedback from army personnel, as they are the ones who have experience of modern conflict. The response has been great and I have been asked to have one of my portraits used in Aldershot’s Somme commemorations.

“I realised that the rich and famous have always had easy access to portraiture, but the average working class family usually had little more to remember their loved ones by than a black and white photograph.

“The Everyday Tommy tells the stories of individuals but stands as a microcosm to the events that shook communities throughout the United Kingdom during the First World War.”

Helen worked with local families and historian Andrew Field to explore soldiers’ personal histories. In a corner of each work, she paints the subject’s military insignia and around the portrait, vignettes depicting aspects of the subject’s life, both in and out of the military.

There are 20 works in the exhibition, most of which are on loan from the families and organisations.

To find out more contact the museum  on 01252 314598 or visit Helen’s website at www.helenchesterarts.co.uk