Neil Helyard

British, born 1951

Neil Helyard is a talented draughtsman, whose work focusses on portraiture and the human and living form. Born in Beverley, East Yorkshire in 1951, he always had a passion for art.

Whilst working as an art tutor and mentor, and drawing on influences from Auerbach, Egon Schiele and the Italian Rennaissance period, Neil pursued this passion, establishing himself for his variety of portrait styles and for executing his work in both a classical and contemporary manner whilst working in varying mediums. This varying style and medium, together with Neil’s use of colour, creates a dramatic, exciting and unexpected effect.

"I need to satisfy my own creativity. A lot of artists only paint in one style, however for me, my style, whether it be classical, contemporary or expressive, depends very much on how I feel." Neil Helyard

Initially exhibiting in private galleries, Neil quickly progressed to exhibit in numerous prestigious exhibitions held at the Royal Society of Portrait Painters (Annual Exhibitions) from 2005, winning the Prince of Wales Award for Portrait Drawing in 2009; The Royal Watercolour Society; The Pastel Society; The Garrick/Milne 2005 (Christies, London) and Leeds City Art Gallery to name a few.

In his finished works, Neil succeeds to reveal the beauty in everyday life, celebrating his subjects in his own distinctive style.