What separates a true artist from someone who just happens to have some painting or drawing ability? When you meet a true artist you sense something magical about them, and that’s how you feel when you are with Helen Sadler. She’s free-spirited yet serious; open yet mysterious. In short, she is a delight, and her artwork is equally delightful. Like many young people, Helen originally came to Ibiza from England to party in the summers, but over time she found that the island touched a part of her that is much more profound. Of course she still likes a good party, but her love for Ibiza and its special beauty is what fully animates both her life and her art. “My abstract paintings are created instinctively by experimenting with colours, texture, layers and light, directly influenced and inspired by the natural beauty I see from living in Ibiza.”

From an early age Helen had a passion and talent for art. This led her to study art and design at Art College and University. Upon graduating she developed a multi-faceted career that spanned the gamut of commercial artistic pursuits - photography, art direction, advertising, film, TV, and graphic design. It was a head-spinning mixture of challenges, and Helen did well in all of them. Yet she felt that something was not quite right. Being successful in the world of commercial art was gratifying on several levels, but it did not make her heart sing. It did not fully satisfy her desire for the freedom to create the type of art that flowed naturally from within her.   

This presented Helen with a pivotal decision about what direction her life would take. Staying in England, and continuing with her successful career in commercial art, was a very secure option. On the other hand, moving to Ibiza and devoting herself to truly expressive art was akin to jumping out of a plane without a parachute. If you know Helen then you are not surprised that she made the jump, but she carried with her the tools to begin a new life. Her talent and experience in so many phases of artistic expression, would combine with her love for Ibiza to produce the magical beauty of her artwork.

Helen’s paintings are inspired by the timeless quality of Mediterranean light, and the ever-changing array of natural colours that abound on Ibiza. “My abstract paintings are intuitively created with spirit and passion. Each work of art is a moment in time, captured in a colourful energy explosion, with its own individual personality and characteristics.” Her work has been featured in many shows, and is part of private collections in the UK, Ibiza, Switzerland and throughout Europe. The amazing colours and energy of Helen’s paintings are also perfect for unique collaborations with interior designers, working with them to create personalised paintings that compliment interiors with distinctive life and style. Helen has also created an intriguing series of prints called “Hints of Ibiza”, in conjunction with Phil Cooper’s NuNorthern Soul record label releases. These are sketches of iconic Ibiza landmarks that are lightly superimposed on her stunning abstract paintings.

It has been quite a journey moving away from her life in commercial productions, to the less tethered existence of a freelance fine artist. But Helen has also kept her finger on the pulse of the art world, and is flexible enough to move with the newest trends. Whether it is digitization or the strange crypto world of NFTs (Non Fungible Tokens), Helen’s diverse artistic experience makes experimentation possible, and she now finds herself embracing the commercial world once again, with digital art created from her abstract paintings. This ability to keep up with evolutionary changes in the medium of expression is necessary, but it will always be secondary to the joy and flow of creating the original artwork itself, and to the special magic that true artists like Helen Sadler bring to the world.