Capturing beauty and
finding meaning in
life’s ordinary moments
Above: Beyond the Break, photo of a broken surfboard, shown at Linton & Kay Margaret River Sep-Oct 2025
The first act of insight is throw away the labels.
— Eudora Welty
WELCOME TO
MY WORLD
OF VIBRANT
COLOUR
Colour and beauty found me when I had lost the ability to see them—when life felt desolate and stripped of hope. I wasn’t searching, I was surviving. And then, unexpectedly, the ordinary began to glow.
Since that day back in 2017 I have photographed everyday objects—quiet, neglected things like lampposts and skip bins—and never fail to be moved when they reveal themselves as art. Through this lens, the mundane becomes meaningful, labels fall away, and what once felt lifeless begins to shimmer with beauty, and hope.
My art is a story of being profoundly changed by the discovery of beauty in the overlooked, by teaching me that there is always beauty present, even in the darkest of places; it simply needs to be found. And in this act of finding it, I not only saw my experience begin to change, I saw myself change.
At its heart, my work is about redefining labels and returning to the truth of who we are—before the world told us who we should be.
Helen Shearwood
explores the ordinary
and brings us beauty.
— Linton & Kay
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 has evolved with me, as I continue to push forwards into new concepts and expressions of self. It has taken 6 years to produce 3 solo exhibitions, each filled with raw grit, heart and soul.
My latest exhibition Broken Boards is showing until 26 October at Linton & Kay Margaret River.
Broken Boards
Exhibited at Linton & Kay Margaret River
13 Sep – 26 Oct 2025
Broken Boards invites viewers to see with fresh eyes and awaken new possibilities. Featuring photographs of broken surfboards, this exhibition highlights the beauty in imperfection while exploring the power of perspective and the insights to be found in adversity.
Alchemy
Exhibited at Linton & Kay Subiaco
15-31 March 2025
Based on close-up photographs of everyday objects, re-imagined through digital collages and hand-embellished with acrylic and 21 karat gold, this exhibition explores three layers of alchemy: transforming the ordinary into art; perceived flaws into treasures; and challenges into metaphorical gold. Above all else, it is a powerful uncovering and reclamation of self.
Infinite Beauty
Exhibited at Linton & Kay Subiaco
8-23 October 2022
Gritty photographs of ordinary objects, transformed into art, explore the profound effect that perspective can have on every aspect of our lives and the freedoms it affords when we choose to question and interpret what we encounter for ourselves instead of accepting previously acquired labels as ‘truths’.
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