About Helen
Helen Oram has been a practising, exhibiting artist for many years.
Her inspiration is drawn from a childhood on an isolated farm in rural New South Wales. Many of the local characters appear in her work.
She has won numerous prizes and acquisitive and highly commended awards in municipal exhibitions in Shoalhaven, Manning and in many rural competitions. She has regularly been a finalist and award winner in city competitions.
Her work has been sought after for commercial galleries in N.S.W. Victoria, South Australia and Canberra. She has had thirty solo and joint exhibitions and was chosen to represent women in an Interntional Women’s Year exhibition in Wollongong.
After painting every day of her adult life, a family tragedy found her unable to paint for many years, but following several life changes she has resumed working. This hiatus has totally changed her format and palette and led to a more vibrant platform.
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Tuition was difficult in a small country town. She is largely self-taught, but took short classes and weekend work-shops and summer schools in the city when possible. These included different genres such as sculpture and Chinese brush stroke. Notable teachers and lecturers were Roy Jackson, Desiderius Orban and Lawrence Beck. Last year she worked privately in Ireland for several weeks with highly regarded artist and teacher, David Willis, studying grounding and layering techniques.
Paintings have been selected for use in advertising by:
The Scotts School Art Prize Albury
Canada Bay Art Prize
Hunters Hill Art Prize

Prizes and Awards Pre 2000
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1st prize Rotary exhibition. Port Macquarie
Ist Prize Shoalhaven Municipal exhibition (Judge - Guy warren)
1st Prize Milton Agricultural Show
1st Prize Millhouse Artists drawing prize
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Exhibitions from 2015 Joint and Solo
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Solo
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7 Exhibitions - Art Gallery on Darling, Balmain NSW
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Joint
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1 Exhibition - 7 Clovelly Road Art Space, Clovelly NSW
1 Exhibition - Rex Livingston Art Gallery, Katoomba NSW
1 Exhibition - Echuca Moama Arts Initiative, Euchuka NSW
1 Exhibition - ART in The mountains Katoomba, Katoomba NSW
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Highly Commended
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Shoalhaven Municipal council x 2
Royal Easter show Sydney
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Prizes and Awards from 2000
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Finalist
Ryde art prize for women
Drummoyne Art Society
Hunters Hill art prize 7 times
Shoalhaven Art Prize
Selected for ACB presents: NEAP 2022
NEAP 2023. Selected to be exhibited in Sydney and Brisbane
Highly commended - Hunters Hill art prize
Drummoyne Art Society
ArtRoom on line international competition: Landscape Merit Award
ArtRoom on line international competition: Portrait Merit Award
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Prizes
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Highly commended Hunters Hill art Prize
Highly commended Drummoyne art Prize
Very Highly commended Drummoyne Art Prize
1st prize. Hunters Hill Regional Art Prize

Creative Method
I am an intuitive artist and my paintings develop from small thumbnail sketches. After accentuating dominant shapes and lines, textures and colours are often suggested and I then transfer the idea to a final larger surface. Lines are exaggerated and shading and colour are applied as dictated by the work.
My paintings depict figures in situations. Usually, they are connected physically and emotionally.
Physically, they are linked by colour and line.
Emotionally, the connection between the viewer and the painting allows for the musing of possibilities, perhaps evoking memories or inspiration.
The aim of my work is to portray something which is familiar to everyone, but allows interpretation of personal thoughts and feelings. Lately I have been creating some modern landscapes, experimenting with textures and layers of colour.