Helen Simmonds: New Paintings

As a gallery fortunate enough to be hosting a collection of work by Helen Simmonds, there is a certain anticipatory warmth in the commonly heard remark  I don’t usually like still lifes, but…  These predominantly small, modest paintings have an evocative or emotive air about them that is not readily describable. Slow in creation, they are invested with deliberation and long hours of looking, their contemplation engendering a similar, rewarding sense of lasting calm. Slowing down to look is a natural reaction.