Painting the Light

As a child growing up in London, Helli Luck’s creativity was set free the first time she picked up a crayon. At the age of five, with a crayon gripped in her tiny hand and poised above her paper, her young imagination latched onto the dream of becoming an artist—and she held that dream tightly as she worked to make it a reality. Winning her first award at 14 years old, Luck went on to have her work displayed in the Mall Galleries in London and created a campaign with an art gallery on the famed Pall Mall Street, before travelling to mainland Europe.

After studying at Central Saint Martins art college in London, Luck went on to work as an art director with the London-based multinational communications and advertising agency of Saatchi and Saatchi. Her work there took her all over the world, giving her a unique opportunity to experience other cultures and immerse herself in various forms of artistic expression.

One of those forms of artistic expression was found in cooking, when Luck trained as a chef in France—a discipline with which she feels painting shares numerous characteristics.

“Painting and cooking are incredibly similar in that, for both, it’s all about the art of presentation,” she said. “The goal is to make something beautiful and see how much pleasure it can bring to people, whether it’s a delicious dish that they’re tasting, or a wonderful painting that they’re looking at.”

As in love with art as Luck has always been, it was not until about 15 years ago that she began a focused dedication to learning how to work in oil-based paint.

“I have been more of an illustrator and designer, but I’ve always loved the look of oils,” says the artist, who is drawn to the rich texture of the oil. “I didn’t know how to use them, so I was taking a leap of faith that I would love oil painting and be happy with my journey.”

Her leap of faith was rewarded, and Luck proved that she not only had command of the use of oils, but an undeniable talent with them.“Oil painting is the hardest thing I have ever done,” she notes. “It’s also so personal, because, as artists, we pour so much into our art from the heart. It is a hard journey but so rewarding when there is progress.”

Starting with a loose, thin sketch that resembles watercolor before building up to thicker paint, Luck creates scenes with incredible movement and life, working in a style that is impressionistic and exceptionally expressive. Landscapes, seascapes, florals and even restaurant scenes that all seem to have a story within the brushstrokes, are captured in the colors and textures of the paint. And, as widely traveled as her life has been and continues to be, Luck has a wealth of captivating subjects from which to draw inspiration, both in those breathtaking surroundings as well as the light that she finds there—Paris being a particular favorite.

“I spent a lot of time there, and I found that inspiration was everywhere, all around me,” she says.

After visiting Charleston years ago, she fell in love with the area—the ocean, the rich beauty of the local scenery and architecture, the birds and, of course, the sunlight. Once again, she’d found a muse to fuel her creative flow.

“Wherever I am, I have such a desire to capture the passage of light through a scene and evoke the feelings that it created in me, in that moment,” she explains. “I normally go to the location, make some small sketches and color notes, take some photos and then bring all of it back to my studio to do a larger piece. I love to try and capture an impression, leaving room for the viewer to get involved and feel the emotion. I am striving to stay loose but have poetic brushstrokes. It’s a constant journey of discovery and I think trying to improve and express my ideas is part of the joy of painting. It’s also what makes it such a challenge. Any time I paint a piece that flowed from my brush with no effort is a huge moment and what I feel is progress as an artist.”

Whatever she chooses to paint, in whatever inspiration chooses her as its speaker, Luck hopes to give her viewers more than just a pretty picture.

“I want to leave them with an emotional response to what they are looking at, to bring some joy and leave something in the painting to their imagination so they can join in the experience,” she says.

Luck is represented by Gray Man Gallery on Pawleys Island, Perspective Gallery in Mount Pleasant and Lowcountry Artists Gallery in Charleston and featured at Brookgreen Gardens in Murrells Inlet, as well as Stellers Gallery in Jacksonville, Florida. Her work can also be found online at helliluckfineart.com.