The end of May hails the start of the Wylye Valley Art Trail 2017, (WVAY), bringing together artists for one of the largest events for this kind in the country.
One such artist is Helen Chester, from Westbury, who has gained recognition with her moving series of portraits entitled, The Everyday Tommy. Her studies of a group of men and women from Wiltshire and Somerset whose lives were changed forever by the events of the Great War and has been touring the country over the course of the First World War centenary commemorations. As a result, Helen was named Artist for The Somme Commemorations at Aldershot Garrison (home of the British Army) and has advised on events for The Royal British Legion’s Armistice Centenary 2018.
Over the course of the WVAT week, the public will get a chance to view Helen’s latest portraits, take a peek inside her studio and get an idea of how she works. This will also be the first chance to see portraits from her new series which investigates men and women from the Armed Forces that have been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
Helen explained, “PTSD is a condition I have direct experience of, after being diagnosed and successfully treated six years ago. I became interested in this issue during work on the WW1 portraits.
“I was fortunate to speak to the nephew of Edgar Hicketts, a soldier who was gassed in the trenches and shortly after discharged from the army due to ‘Lack of moral fibre’. He had shellshock or as we call it today, PTSD. Edgar’s story was such a desperate one and a hundred years later, this destructive mental health condition is still prevalent in veterans. As with Edgar’s portrait, I felt that it was important to tell the stories of contemporary veterans, showing the individual behind the diagnosis and hopefully help remove some of the stigma associated with mental health illnesses.”
Working closely with military veterans from Northern Ireland, The Falklands, Iraq and more recently Afghanistan, Helen has recorded the events of each subject’s past into their portrait by not only showing a true likeness of the person, but also by incorporating vignettes, military badges and personal tokens.
Helen said, “I have been lucky to work with several army charities and when I asked for veterans to come forward to help in this project I was shocked by the flood of responses and overwhelmed by the bravery and openness it took for each person to share events with me, that sometimes they haven’t even shared with their families.
“With this openness I have found that the process of working on the portrait is completely different from those I have done previously. Every part has to be cleared with the subject, so if I paint something that is too painful or not accurate to their memory of the event, it goes!’
Helen will be exhibiting a small sample of these new portraits and also the First World War portrait of Edgar Hicketts, the inspiration for her current series, in her open studio, part of the Wylye Valley Arts Trail, between Saturday 27th May and Sunday 4th June. For further information please visit wvat.co.uk or helenchesterarts.co.uk.
Gary Weaving copyright Helen Chester Arts
