Hiraeth

“A longing to be where your spirit lives.” 

This kind of homesickness is a combination of the longing, nostalgia, and yearning for a home that you cannot return to. It no longer exists; or, maybe it never was. It can also include grief or sadness for who or what you have lost, losses that make your home different from the one you remember.

A.S. Helwig’s paintings are about resilience and hope, using familiar landscapes and skies as metaphors. This collection features work completed during the pandemic. Throughout this time, she sought peaceful scenes, looking for that ah-ha moment that takes your breath away. These pieces brood upon nostalgia for the home we cannot return to—what the Welsh call hiraeth, a longing to be where your spirit lives. For Helwig, painting is a profoundly spiritual and meditative act that draws inspiration from her roots in the southern Alberta landscape.

Helwig was born in Lethbridge, Alberta, and has drawn and painted since childhood. She finished a two-year commercial art program at Medicine Hat College and then earned a Bachelor of Education Degree (with Distinction) from the University of Lethbridge. Her award-winning work appears in galleries across western Canada.

Hush 18 x 24 Acrylic on Stretched Canvas

The magic hour, the end of the day, before we drift off into dreams. I was drawn to the last rays of light highlighting the mountain ridge. What was the highlight of your day?

Respite 18 x 24 Acrylic on Cradled Birch Panel

That turquoise. You can hardly believe it’s real. What else is unexpected and delightful in your life?

Lift Up My Eyes 18 x 24 Acrylic on Cradled Birch Wood

This is countryside between Calgary and Cochrane. Prairie, foothills and mountains, all in one sweep.

The Moment 36 x 48 on cradled birch board

The first of this series was painted on location at a plein air festival. This is a bit bigger than I usually work, but I wanted a challenge. The other challenge was that I added silver foil to the board.

As the surface is reflective it changes in different lighting conditions. So light becomes another element in this painting.

This series is about the changes we experience throughout the seasons in our lives.

Golden 18 x 24 Acrylic on Cradled Birch Board

This is a favourite picnic spot near Banff. The trees are glorious but preparing for winter. Are you enjoying the view or worrying about what comes next?

Fireweed 18 x 24 Acrylic on Cradled Birch Panel

Fireweed fills in after a fire. It has that distinctive magenta colour. The inspiration for this painting was a drive to the Porcupine Hills. I thought of resilience and unexpected beauty.

Solitude 18 x 24 acrylic on Cradled Birch Panel

The study for this painting was completed on a quiet country road, just out of Calgary’s city limits. I painted it when I was craving quiet and calm.

A Day in The Foothills 18 x 24 Acrylic on Canvas

My paintings often start with studies painted on location. The study for this one was painted in Sibbald Flats. Later in the studio, I work on paintings a bit bigger, like this one. I was drawn to the contrast between the deep blue and the fall foliage.

Contemplation 36 x 36 on Canvas

I learnt to paint on the banks of the Old Man River. I first started doing plein air when I was 12. In Lethbridge the wind is a constant. It often gets 38C during the summer, so I learnt to paint quickly. This painting is of the Old Man River Bottom behind my childhood home. It is still a view that moves me.