Dayle Helsby

I am a musician and composer of jazz, experimental music and French chanson. Having discovered the paintbrush and Breton fisherman’s smock, I now focus my energy on creating a sort of visual music that evokes distant memories, moods and half-imagined scenes.

My studio paintings come from the imagination, memory and from ideas triggered by chance encounters and observation. I try to develop potent atmosphere and create paintings with edge, ambiguity, poignancy and a whiff of humour. I often include a narrative or psychological element and a touch of mystery - as if something has just happened, is happening or is about to happen.

I also love to get out to paint en plein air along the North Devon coast. Sometimes it’s a matter of starting a painting outdoors, getting blown to bits and finishing in the studio. I try to paint seascapes and landscapes that have energy and flavour. I want to create original art that makes people feel something