“It all began with a good cup of tea”
Helaina Sharpley is an award-winning wirework artist from West Yorkshire who exhibits nationally and internationally.
Working from her studio at The West Yorkshire Print Workshop in Mirfield, she creates intricate and elegant wirework wall pieces that cross the boundaries between drawing and sculpture. Initially inspired by the rituals and etiquette of tea drinking of days gone by, early work focussed on chintzy china cups and Victorian architecture. A variety of commissions have led to new explorations of rural landscapes and British flora, developing, and pushing new wire-working skills.
Collect 2022
Inspired by the far-reaching views of the artist's home county, Yorkshire, 'Drawn into the distance' depicts a reimagined rural landscape. Using iron wire, Helaina Sharpley has hand-manipulated the material to create a complex and layered suspended installation. Created especially for Collect, this has been an opportunity to release the wirework from the constraints of a board, increasing the scale, playing with depth, and pushing the boundaries of the material and the artist's skill.
