Appointments with Helen Charlemagne – Artist in Residence

How do I make an appointment to see Helen? Email Helen directly to book a 20-minute visit. 

Where will the sessions take place? Helen is located in the upper room of St Barnabas. Once you have booked, an email with further details will be sent to you. 

(Watch Mtr. Fiona interview Helen about the 2021/22 artist in residence program after a recent Sunday mass)

What is this about? In September 2021 we launched an exciting Artist in Residence program at St Barnabas. During this 12 month period Helen Charlemagne (a local artist) will meet with parishioners and members of the community to create a collection of art centered on the themes of faith, hope and love. Each of the themes will be explored over a 4 month period beginning with “faith” during the months of September–December 2021. 

(Watch Fr. Justin explain his choice of object and it's connection to his faith experience of the pandemic.)

How do I participate? Start by identifying an object that represents your experience of “faith” during the past 18 months. Then, make an appointment to see Helen on this page. Bring your object along to discuss why you chose it and how it relates to faith for you. Helen will then produce an artistic rendering of the object as interpreted through your conversation. 

What principles are guiding this project?

Collaborative creativity - community, congregation and artist come together to create a living and growing body of work around each of the theological virtues - faith, hope and love.

The beauty of the ordinary - we know God is at work in the everyday details of our lives. Each object has personal meaning for the individual, their life experience and their spiritual journey. We receive it as sacred.   

Our story rooted in God’s story - we offer something of ourselves to be woven into a collective public representation of God's saving love in our lives at this time and in this community.  

Can you explain a little more about the themes? Although life has just started to return to something resembling normal, we’re still grappling with the unprecedented impact of a global pandemic on our lives. The Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 13 offers these words of encouragement to the Christians struggling in that city, “And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.” During this 12 month program, we have the opportunity to creatively explore our experiences as individuals and members of the community here. Where do we find the signs of faith, hope, and love in the wake of COVID-19?  

Helen Charlemange - Biography

My name is Helen Charlemagne, I am an artist, a proud mum of two and I live in the borough of Ealing.

I have been drawing and painting since I was very young. The mediums I use in my work are charcoals, soft pastels and acrylic paints. In fact, I did my first painting of the baby Jesus, Mary and Joseph at the age of seven! My father was a welder and he framed my painting in stainless steel with a glass front! It was so heavy, he was the only one strong enough to carry it! 

And fifty years later I still have it.

My professional work life has mainly been in sales and customer focused; however my art has always been there and has been very therapeutic, not least during the last 18 months. 

Now I am the resident artist at St Barnabas Church in Pitshanger, a position that has been bestowed on me to create pieces with the help of the congregation of their thoughts and feelings after the last 18 months. I hope I can do it justice and translate into innovative paintings using the themes, Faith, Hope and love. I am located in the upper room at St Barnabas Church on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursdays. My email address is helencharlemagne23@yahoo.com.