Helen Norton

1961 - 

 

 

 

Helen Norton's extraordinary life is central to understanding and appreciating her artistic output.

Born Helen Joy Rodwell in Melbourne's St Kilda in 1961 she left home at sixteen and moved around the country working in a variety of unusual and demanding jobs - cook in a roadhouse, rabbit shooter, fox hunter, jillaroo, station cook, shark hunter. Not surprisingly when she came to painting she called on these life experiences and the people and the landscape of the Australian outback as powerful motifs.

After roaming through some of the most desolate areas of Australia for many years Helen Norton settled in Broome in 1985. There she began to paint for the first time since leaving school. Her first solo exhibition was staged at the Broome Regional Art Gallery in 1988.

Since then she has come a long way to becoming an artist in her own right. She describes herself as a reporter of the human condition noting that "there is always a hidden agenda in my work".

Norton does not see herself as a decorative artist."I paint to examine, to undo questions and I hope that people who view my work learn from it too. Whatever level theyíre at, their own lifeís experiences will tell them how to read my paintings." To Norton it doesn't matter what art is what is important is that the viewer, the human being, is moved to soulfulness and put in touch with their emotive side; the beauty or pain - whatever it is the work stimulates.

Helen Norton has become one of Australia's most well received artists and her work is included in many major private and international collections. 

 

BHP; Western Metals; Paspaley Pearling Co. Pty Ltd; West Australian Parliament House; Austrian Consulate General; Property Bank Australia; Perth Mint; Hong Kong Bank of Australia; RAC Adelaide, South Australia.