Focus on: Artist Helena Traill

Helena Traill FRSA, Contemporary British Painter

Helena Traill is a contemporary British oil painter creating expressive landscapes shaped by colour, movement and memory. Working both en plein air and from her studio, she translates the experience of a place into layered, tactile paintings – capturing not simply how a landscape looks, but how it feels to be within it.

Helena studied at Central Saint Martins before completing her Master’s at the Royal College of Art, and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. Her background in design continues to inform her approach to composition, colour and the relationship between an artwork and the space it inhabits.

In 2025, Helena held her debut solo exhibition at 28 Flowers, Chelsea, followed by an artist residency and specially commissioned body of work for Treasure House, London. Her paintings are held in private and corporate collections, including a series at Loveday Belgravia.

Her work has been described as “a thousand snapshots collapsed into one”. Paintings that layer observation, memory and sensation into a single image.

Painting live

Alongside her studio practice, Helena paints live at private parties, cultural events, brand activations and corporate functions, creating an artwork in response to the place and atmosphere as it unfolds. She has painted live at Treasure House, Glyndebourne and for a social campaign with the Cadogan Estate, as well as at private parties and functions. This experience is now offered via the new luxury events platform City O’Clock.

Working with interior designers

Helena works closely with interior designers, architects and private clients, creating bespoke paintings and series of works in response to an interior. Commissions can be developed around the scale, palette and atmosphere of a space, while retaining the distinctive colour, movement and materiality of Helena’s practice. 

Projects range from individual statement paintings to groups of works for residential, hospitality and corporate interiors, with Helena happy to work collaboratively from plans, material palettes, photographs or visits to the space. Previous commissions include works for interiors in Belgravia, Chelsea, Surrey, and the Cotswolds.

“Having worked with Chelsea Design Quarter for many years through my design practice, it feels particularly special to now be introducing my painting practice to the CDQ community. I love working with interior designers – understanding the character of a space and creating something that belongs within it, while still standing as a painting in its own right.”
– Helena Traill

Contact Helena
www.helenatraill.co.uk | enquiries@helenatraill.co.uk
@helenatraill on Instagram and TikTok
Private and Corporate Commissions | Exhibitions | Brand Collaborations | Live Painting
Receive Helena’s monthly studio letter, shared exclusively with supporters: helenatraill.co.uk/mailing-list