BROKEN BOARDS
SOLO EXHIBITION
LINTON & KAY 2025
Capturing beauty and
finding meaning in
life’s ordinary moments
WELCOME TO
THE ART OF THE ORDINARY
Hello, I’m Helen and I photograph ordinary everyday objects — quiet, neglected things like lampposts and skip bins — that reveal themselves as art when viewed through a different lens.
My art is shaped by a simple but life‑changing discovery: beauty is always present, even when you’ve lost sight of it.
My art taught me to remember what I’d forgotten: to become acutely aware of the infinite beauty of life. First, by showing it to me in my external environment. And then, by allowing me to rediscover it again, within. Hidden deep behind layers and layers of ‘not-enoughness’.
At its heart, my art is about accepting ourselves exactly as we are, with all of our exquisite imperfections.
Photography is my core medium, but I also explore collage, painting, and textiles, each one a thread in the tapestry of what brings me joy and helps me make sense of what matters. MORE
Helen Shearwood
explores the ordinary
and brings us beauty.
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For Helen, translating hidden beauty into abstract form is an artistic pursuit and a form of therapy that opens spaces for reflection, hope, and human connection.
Photo of a letterbox
'Beauty, Uncovered'
'Electricity'
Photo of a rubbish bin
Photo of a kerb
'How the Light Gets In'
Helen’s work is defined by its ability to alchemise brokenness into beauty. She transforms her subject matter into bold, abstract compositions that convey something tangible and emotionally resonant.
— Urbane Gazette (Vol 7 Issue 1)
SOLO
EXHIBITIONS
My practice continues to evolve alongside me, with each exhibition marking a distinct chapter in my own life. Every body of work forms a story — held not only in the artwork, but in the accompanying booklets that trace the themes and the lessons I was learning at the time.
Broken Boards (2025)
Exhibited at Linton & Kay
Margaret River
Broken Boards invites viewers to see with fresh eyes and awaken new possibilities. It explores resilience — the growing understanding that I no longer need to fear the metaphorical storms because I’m learning how to steer my own ship. Featuring photographs of broken surfboards, the exhibition highlights the beauty in imperfection and the way perspective can transform challenge into insight.
Alchemy (2025)
Exhibited at Linton & Kay
Subiaco
Alchemy is the most deeply personal chapter of my practice. It is the moment I learn to do with myself what I did in Infinite Beauty with my subject matter — to find the beauty in what I once believed was broken or unworthy. The exhibition emerges from a period of profound internal change, where transformation becomes an act of recognition rather than repair. Each piece holds that shift: the quiet turning toward myself with clarity, compassion and a willingness to see value where I had not seen it before. The work invites viewers into their own version of that discovery.
Infinite Beauty (2022)
Exhibited at Linton & Kay
Subiaco
Infinite Beauty marks the beginning of my practice — a moment where I first learn to see the extraordinary within the ordinary. The exhibition explores how small, overlooked details can become portals into presence, clarity, and quiet transformation. It invites viewers to shift the way they look at things, opening new freedoms by questioning inherited labels and discovering their own interpretations instead. It becomes the first chapter in learning that beauty often lives in the places we overlook.
With so many inspiring
lessons to be learnt from
Helen’s work, one of the most
profound is the importance of
keeping our eyes open to what
everyday life has to offer.
— BGC Home magazine issue 2