ElizabethHellen

Born and raised on Waiheke Island, Aotearoa artist Elizabeth Hellen Barker creates images drawn from nature or special moments which she then etches/traces into plaster. Elizabeth’s preferred medium is plaster because over time it takes on a patina which enhances and gives greater depth to the images etched in each work. And perhaps, more significantly working with plaster connects Elizabeth to her father and the art of creating plaster works passed on to her by him. Nature and connection to family and ancestry are important themes in Elizabeth’s work. Her works deliberately following traces that tell stories. Where the making of the image connects marks and lines that also capture a journey and a meaning to be interpreted and experienced in the future. The marking/etching or tracing process she applies to her work is intimately connected to her exploration of family and ancestry. Elizabeth says about her process and work: “I like to work backwards, revealing images from underneath layers. It is parallel to the exploration of my ancestry. I go forward by looking back. I appreciate that time erodes traces and am intrigued by ways in which we try to preserve and honour our treasures. I want to explore traces of memories and values that I hold dear and share them with others.”