A native of the Massachusetts Berkshires, Helen Roy, a self-taught artist and educator now living in Westerly, considers herself fortunate to have fallen in love with painting after 30 years as a learning disabilities specialist. Her journey began in the summer of 2015 when, living in NYC, she purchased paint and brushes in an effort to help a loved one deal with a difficult time through creative expression. Many canvases and tubes of paint later, Dr. Roy has exhibited in a variety of shows and sold work to collectors all over the country.  

       Roy hopes her colorful vibrant paintings can help transform an observer’s dark emotion into a brighter outlook. Working in acrylic, oil and a combination of oil and cold wax, some of her work consists of clean lines and geometric shapes, while other pieces are abstract seascapes or non-representational. The artist balances her colors, shapes, lines and textures using a palette knife or homemade brushes, encouraging movement and emotion in her compositions. Her latest adventure is colorful Calder-inspired mobiles, focusing on color and movement.