“I think in pictures, not in words. Images speak for me. Lines and shapes tell stories that words can’t. I work in strokes and tones, building landscapes and images that I can share.”
Helena Traill is a young female London-based artist whose work transforms landscapes into sensory experiences, capturing the emotional depth of colour and place. She grew up in the Surrey Hills surrounded by expansive views and natural light, which fostered her love of open spaces and simplicity. As a neurodivergent artist, Helena thinks in pictures rather than words, using brushstrokes and tones to bring her perceptions to life. For her, painting is a way to share what she sees and feels, drawing viewers into immersive spaces of calm and contemplation.
“When I stand in the landscape, I no longer see the shapes, I see the colours interacting and forming an image. It is almost like the place is asking to be painted.”
Trained at Central Saint Martins and the Royal College of Art, Helena merges design precision with a highly personal, instinctual approach to painting. Creativity has been a constant in her life, especially seeking solace through her art during her father’s terminal illness. Inspired by her father’s resilience and creative spirit (both a painter, photographer and innovator), she paints as a way to ground herself, translating fleeting moments into colour, light, and texture. Art helps slow her neurodivergent mind, finding peace and joy in nature’s rhythms.
“I paint to slow down, to make time stand still. My mind may spin fast, but painting lets me see colour, shape, and story in each small detail.”
Helena’s work is featured in numerous private collections across the UK, and she continues to share her journey and new creations on Instagram, TikTok and her website. Looking ahead, she is working toward her next major exhibition in London, where she aims to further connect viewers with the emotive potential of landscape and colour.
