The Artist

Charley Hellier is a self-taught artist working in oils and acrylics. Born in 1981 in Exeter, Devon, her family moved to Tyldesley, Lancashire, when she was very young.

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Throughout her school years, she immersed herself in the creative arts, taking A Levels in Art and English and becoming a skilled pianist and singer. Charley went on to study English and Philosophy at the University of Leeds and then completed a second degree in Film & Moving Image Production at the Northern Film School. As a student, she fulfilled her constant desire to create art by producing large pieces in oil pastel on paper and completing murals in student housing (with permission from landlords, whom she had impressed with her work).

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Her passion for film combined her love for all creative endeavours, particularly the visual arts. She made various experimental short films and animations, a couple of which were nominated for awards, and then went on to have a successful career in post-production for film and television, as a visual effects compositor, editor, colourist and graphic artist.

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The birth of her daughter in 2016 was a turning point in Charley's life. She felt a strong yearning to return from the digital to the physical process of art creation. In 2019, she took a step back from her career in film and television, to rediscover her passion for painting.

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Charley and her family now reside in York, where she first started exhibiting and selling her work in Created in York gallery in 2021. She has since exhibited at the National Trust’s Nunnington Hall in North Yorkshire, in galleries such as Art Unlimited (Dorset) and Northlight 31 (Leeds) and had her first solo exhibition in 2022 at St Matthias in Leeds. Her work has been featured in 'Artists Responding To' magazine and used for concert posters, album artwork, and private commissions. Charley is a member of United ArtSpace and North Art.

 

Inspired by the wild landscape of the Yorkshire Moors and her experiences, from literature, folklore and music, to history, philosophy and filmmaking, she explores her creativity and shares her unique vision through her painting.