Hadala, Helena (RCA)

Helena, born and raised in Calgary Alberta, has maintained a full time studio practice for over forty years. She received an MFA degree from the University of Calgary and is an elected member
of the Royal Canadian Academy of the Arts.

Over the years, Helena has traveled extensively and participated in many national and international residencies including Australia and Spain. She has exhibited in Canada, the USA, Japan, Finland, Poland and Portugal. Her work is in numerous private, public and corporate collections including Canada Council Art Bank and the Alberta Foundation of the Arts.

Helena’s poetic compositions allow for contemplation to become visible and take on tangible form. Her images, a type of visual haiku, reflect rather than describe her perceptual world.

“Labyrinth Series” Artist Statement

My painting process is an introspective journey. It’s like the spiritual practice of walking a labyrinth, where the labyrinth is a single circuitous path that eventually leads to the centre, with invitations for contemplation and meditation along the way. I start each painting without a preconceived idea and intuitively add shapes, colours, and textures in a quest to uncover something unknown.

The imagery goes through many alterations in my intuitive search for balance
and harmony. Once I am receptive to my inner state, a defined but open ended compositional framework gradually begins to emerge. The medium of oil paint is manipulated through the application of many layers some that are partially transparent. Each painting reflects my exploration of the notion of self and shows vestiges of my visual journey towards the centre, finding a balance between the external world and the stillness within.