Helen Rhodes
HELEN Rhodes is a ceramicist who captures the world of wildlife and farm creatures around her. Helen lives in Holme upon Spalding Moor with her husband Paul. Her work can be found in the Fabrication Gallery on Coney Street in York, and in Fleece, in Reeth, and she also accepts commissions.
I’m currently reading:
There wasn’t an opportunity to frequent the local library that much as a youngster – we lived on a farm (we still do) and it was quite a way from the heart of the village. Today, I’m always grabbing the opportunity to dive into the nearest charity shop to see what their bookshelves have on offer. But my brother and I had a very happy childhood, and we were always making animals from the local clay – there was a lot of it about. I’ve always loved being creative, and it was about five years ago when Paul very kindly bought me a course of lessons at a local pottery, and I took to it instantly. Then came Covid and the lockdowns, and I had the time to develop my skills. The book I’m reading at the moment – and I read every night before sleep –is The Secret Life of Sunflowers, by Marta Molnar. It’s based on a true story – Johanna Bonger was the sister-in-law of Vincent Van Gogh, and after his death and that of her husband, she inherited all of Van Gogh’s canvases, and she had to put them on the market to keep body and soul together.
I’ve been listening to: Music of the seventies and the eighties, and I sing along, very loudly and enthusiastically, but perhaps not as much in tune as I would like to. I always have music on when I’m working in my studio, which is out in the garden behind the house. Greatest Hits Radio is a favourite station.
On TV, I’ve been watching: Would it surprise you to learn that it is The Great Pottery Throw Down? If I can’t catch it on the evening it goes out, then it is always recorded to catch later. It’s fascinating for me to see the contestants really pushing themselves, trying something that is new for them, and yes, I also pick up a lot of tips along the way. They try out a different way of creating a glaze, or using a different oxide, and I think ‘Hmmmm, maybe I could have a go at that?’ It’s interesting to see how their skills develop.
The live performance I’d recommend is:
Last year, Paul suggested that we went over to the Spa Theatre in Bridlington to see a Scottish Celtic rock band called Skerryvore, and I really wasn’t that excited, but accompanied him anyway. I wasn’t expecting very much, but what we got was one of the most exhilarating, fun, dynamic evenings ever. Catch them if they come your way. There’s about a dozen of them, and they rocked the place to the extent that everyone was up and dancing at the end of the set. You couldn’t not get up and go with it. They are extraordinarily talented multi-instrumentalists, and I loved every second of the show. Brilliant, vibrant, energetic.
My next box set will be (or my last boxed set was….):
Shetland. One of the best crime drama series ever. Paul is employed in the sector which looks after the safety equipment of the Search and Rescue teams all over the UK, and we’ve been up to the actual island several times – we love the place. While he’s working, I get out my clay, and my modelling tools and I sculpt the puffins that I see everywhere. It’s a very friendly community, and when we watch it on TV, we’ve started to be able to identify where the fictional characters are – going into the coffee shop we know, or by a place that we are familiar with. You recognise everything.
The App I couldn’t be without is: I use Instagram and Facebook, of course, but the one that really is essential for me, living in a rural area of the county, is What Three Words, which, if you don’t know about it is a method of precisely locating where you are, anywhere in the world, in a location of just one square metre in size. It would be invaluable, for instance, if you had a car breakdown, or something happened to you and you needed an emergency service. In fact, some neighbours and Paul and I have got together, and have formed a What Three Words Whatsapp co-operative, so that we can jointly identify where parcels and deliveries might be. “Have you seen a parcel addressed to me? Oh, it’s over at X, Y or Z’s?”. It’s one of the most useful apps I know.
What is right at the top of your “to do” bucket list?: When I was a lot younger, I did voluntary service for some time in Uganda, and I would love to re-visit that beautiful country. It’s going to have to be a while yet, however, because the Foreign Office advises against travel there at the moment, because of unrest. Such a terrible shame. And, having been to New Zealand, I should very much like to go back and reacquaint myself, and to show Paul (he’s not been, as yet) what a wonderful place it is. Stunning scenery, hospitality bar none, a unique lifestyle, and quite magical in every way.