Who moved my face

"I've always known this face....

Or at least I thougt I did.

But then it shiffted.

Slid sidways.

Smiled when I wasn"t smiling.

Blinked when I I was still.

Is this what it means to be seen?

Or just ... to be rearranged?

I watch myself pulled apart....

Not broken, just... questioned.

I am the artist.

I am the material.

I am the puzzle that never stays soleved.

Who moved my face?

Maybe I did.

Maybe I had to. "

                                               Yvonne Helmrich

Throughout my life, art has given me the freedom and confidence to create and experiment using different mediums and techniques. For many years, my favorite subjects have been self portraits (which became over time, an obsession), night cityscapes, landscapes and still life. Oil paints are my primary tool, but often I use a variety of mediums like pastels, charcoal and ink. Monotype is another method of expressing myself which allows for creativity and surprises.

Humor is my inspiration especially through associative thinking which allows me to reinvent myself. People ask me why I laugh at myself, and I conclude that the humor in my work can be both self-defense and a sign of emotional maturity, giving me the ability to accept myself and come to terms with my visual and hearing impairments.

In addition, I am often triggered by something I see, a sentence I read and my daily wanderings in both private and public spaces. These triggers are the core of my creative works.

The essential message I endeavor to convey is my emotional self through art.