MY STORY
Helen Otway is a full-time Australian artist based in the Northern Rivers, sharing her time between the coast and hinterland. Her work explores themes of nature, identity, and emotion, with a strong focus on the interplay between landscape, memory, and personal connection. Through her painting practice, she captures the subtleties of her environment, evoking a sense of stillness, reflection, and deep engagement with the natural world.
Born to Macedonian parents and raised in Melbourne, Helen’s work is increasingly informed by ideas of impermanence, cultural heritage, and shifting identity. Having grown up within a migrant family, she is deeply interested in the ways personal and collective histories shape our sense of belonging. Her practice explores the tension between the past and present, the familiar and the unknown, and how cultural narratives are carried through generations. The experience of being raised between two worlds—immersed in the traditions of her heritage while navigating a distinctly Australian upbringing—has led her to investigate how identity is fluid, evolving, and influenced by both external landscapes and internal transformations.
Helen began her career as an art teacher, enriching children's education through creativity and fostering an early appreciation for artistic expression, while fostering a vibrant, art-filled environment for her two creative daughters. A keen advocate for arts education and creative pursuits, she has continued to support the role of the arts in both personal and community development.
Helen majored in art during her studies at Victoria College, earning both a Diploma of Teaching (Art) and a Bachelor of Education (Art, Film, and Video). She is currently undertaking a three-year Visual Arts course at the Byron School of Art (2024–2026), where she continues to refine her approach to materials, composition, and conceptual depth.
Since establishing her studio at the M-Arts Precinct in 2020 and opening her gallery in Cabarita the same year, Helen has exhibited extensively across Australia. She has held multiple solo exhibitions, including at Mist Gallery (Cabarita Beach), Art Post Uki, and Marios Café (Fitzroy, VIC). Her work has also been featured in numerous group exhibitions, particularly in the Tweed region, where she has developed a strong presence within the local arts community.
Helen’s achievements include being a finalist in the 2025 Swell Art Prize and the 2023 Lethbridge Gallery Small Scale Art Prize, with previous recognition in the Moonee Valley Art Prize, Border Art Prize, and Albert Park College Art Prize. Her work has gained attention for its ability to convey a quiet, immersive experience, often drawing on the shifting light, textures, and moods of the natural world.
Her artistic direction continues to evolve, encompassing both painting and installation-based practices. Working with layered washes, she creates meditative, atmospheric compositions that encourage a slower, more intentional way of seeing. She is particularly drawn to organic materials, subtle tonal shifts, and the intersection between human perception and the landscape. Through her work, Helen seeks to foster an intimate connection between the viewer and the environment, exploring both the tangible and ephemeral aspects of place.
Qualifications:
Undergraduate: Diploma of Teaching - Major Art - Victoria College - Toorak, VIC
Post Graduate: Bachelor of Education - Major in Art, Film and Video – Victoria College – Preston, VIC
Visual Arts – Byron School of Arts – 2024 – 2026 Mullumbimby NSW
Galleries:
Greenhouse Interiors, Geelong
BlueThumb, Australia
Black Fig Gallery, Alstonville
Prizes:
2025
Dean Cogle Portrait Prize - Currumbin, QLD
The Doyles Art Award - Mudgeeraba, QLD
Fifty Squared Art Prize, Brunswick Street Gallery - Fitzroy VIC
Nimbin Art Fair and Prize - Nimbin NSW
Swell Art Prize – Gold Coast QLD
2023
Lethbridge Gallery 20000 Small Scale Art Prize – Brisbane QLD
C.A.S.E.S Postcards Art Prize – Mullumbimby NSW
2020
Border Art Prize – Tweed Regional Gallery, Sth Murwillumbah NSW
Moonee Valley Art Prize – Strathmore, Melbourne VIC
2018
Moonee Valley Art Prize – Strathmore, Melbourne VIC
Tacit Gallery – Palette Art Prize – Collingwood, Melbourne VIC
2017
Albert Park College Art Prize - Albert Park, Melbourne VIC
Solo Exhibitions:
2025
Echora, Sth Murwillumbah - If These Walls Could Talk - (November)
2024
Mist Gallery, Cabarita Beach – 11:11 Hopes and Dreams
2023
Art Post Uki, Uki – Quiet Repose
2021
Uki Art Post, Uki – Take Me To Your River
2020
Keith Café, Murwillumbah – Mist
M-Arts Precinct – Studio exhibition
2019
Art Shelter, Kingscliff – Escape
2018
Marios Café, Fitzroy – Escape
Group Shows:
2025
Bird Nerds Pop Up Gallery, Murwillumbah - Bird Nerds (Aug - Oct)
Black Fig Gallery, Alstonville - Winter Season (August)
Brunswick Street Gallery, Fitzroy - Winter Light
Incognito Show, Sydney
Gallery 3, Byron Bay - Micro 30
2024
Byron School of Art, Mullumbimby – Colour Theory
The Bank Gallery, Mullumbimby – Grand Opening
Mist Gallery, Cabarita Beach – Season of Renewal
Mist Gallery, Cabarita Beach - Summer Love
2023
Mist Gallery, Cabarita Beach – Women of the Tweed
Mist Gallery, Cabarita Beach – Harvest
Mist Gallery, Cabarita Beach – Place In The Sun
2022
Mist Gallery, Cabarita Beach – Habitat
Mist Gallery, Cabarita Beach – Dare to Dream
Mist Gallery, Cabarita Beach – Style de Maison
Mist Gallery, Cabarita Beach – Charis
Incognito Show – Sydney
2021
Mist Gallery, Cabarita Beach – Encore
Mist Gallery, Cabarita Beach – Dream Big
Mist Gallery, Cabarita Beach – The Home Show
Mist Gallery, Cabarita Beach – Love Where We Live II
Mist Gallery, Cabarita Beach – Summer Breeze
2020
Mist Gallery, Cabarita Beach – The Great Outdoors
Mist Gallery, Cabarita Beach – Wild at Heart
Mist Gallery, Cabarita Beach – Love Where We Live
Contact:
[email protected]
0419870305
Born to Macedonian parents and raised in Melbourne, Helen’s work is increasingly informed by ideas of impermanence, cultural heritage, and shifting identity. Having grown up within a migrant family, she is deeply interested in the ways personal and collective histories shape our sense of belonging. Her practice explores the tension between the past and present, the familiar and the unknown, and how cultural narratives are carried through generations. The experience of being raised between two worlds—immersed in the traditions of her heritage while navigating a distinctly Australian upbringing—has led her to investigate how identity is fluid, evolving, and influenced by both external landscapes and internal transformations.
Helen began her career as an art teacher, enriching children's education through creativity and fostering an early appreciation for artistic expression, while fostering a vibrant, art-filled environment for her two creative daughters. A keen advocate for arts education and creative pursuits, she has continued to support the role of the arts in both personal and community development.
Helen majored in art during her studies at Victoria College, earning both a Diploma of Teaching (Art) and a Bachelor of Education (Art, Film, and Video). She is currently undertaking a three-year Visual Arts course at the Byron School of Art (2024–2026), where she continues to refine her approach to materials, composition, and conceptual depth.
Since establishing her studio at the M-Arts Precinct in 2020 and opening her gallery in Cabarita the same year, Helen has exhibited extensively across Australia. She has held multiple solo exhibitions, including at Mist Gallery (Cabarita Beach), Art Post Uki, and Marios Café (Fitzroy, VIC). Her work has also been featured in numerous group exhibitions, particularly in the Tweed region, where she has developed a strong presence within the local arts community.
Helen’s achievements include being a finalist in the 2025 Swell Art Prize and the 2023 Lethbridge Gallery Small Scale Art Prize, with previous recognition in the Moonee Valley Art Prize, Border Art Prize, and Albert Park College Art Prize. Her work has gained attention for its ability to convey a quiet, immersive experience, often drawing on the shifting light, textures, and moods of the natural world.
Her artistic direction continues to evolve, encompassing both painting and installation-based practices. Working with layered washes, she creates meditative, atmospheric compositions that encourage a slower, more intentional way of seeing. She is particularly drawn to organic materials, subtle tonal shifts, and the intersection between human perception and the landscape. Through her work, Helen seeks to foster an intimate connection between the viewer and the environment, exploring both the tangible and ephemeral aspects of place.
Qualifications:
Undergraduate: Diploma of Teaching - Major Art - Victoria College - Toorak, VIC
Post Graduate: Bachelor of Education - Major in Art, Film and Video – Victoria College – Preston, VIC
Visual Arts – Byron School of Arts – 2024 – 2026 Mullumbimby NSW
Galleries:
Greenhouse Interiors, Geelong
BlueThumb, Australia
Black Fig Gallery, Alstonville
Prizes:
2025
Dean Cogle Portrait Prize - Currumbin, QLD
The Doyles Art Award - Mudgeeraba, QLD
Fifty Squared Art Prize, Brunswick Street Gallery - Fitzroy VIC
Nimbin Art Fair and Prize - Nimbin NSW
Swell Art Prize – Gold Coast QLD
2023
Lethbridge Gallery 20000 Small Scale Art Prize – Brisbane QLD
C.A.S.E.S Postcards Art Prize – Mullumbimby NSW
2020
Border Art Prize – Tweed Regional Gallery, Sth Murwillumbah NSW
Moonee Valley Art Prize – Strathmore, Melbourne VIC
2018
Moonee Valley Art Prize – Strathmore, Melbourne VIC
Tacit Gallery – Palette Art Prize – Collingwood, Melbourne VIC
2017
Albert Park College Art Prize - Albert Park, Melbourne VIC
Solo Exhibitions:
2025
Echora, Sth Murwillumbah - If These Walls Could Talk - (November)
2024
Mist Gallery, Cabarita Beach – 11:11 Hopes and Dreams
2023
Art Post Uki, Uki – Quiet Repose
2021
Uki Art Post, Uki – Take Me To Your River
2020
Keith Café, Murwillumbah – Mist
M-Arts Precinct – Studio exhibition
2019
Art Shelter, Kingscliff – Escape
2018
Marios Café, Fitzroy – Escape
Group Shows:
2025
Bird Nerds Pop Up Gallery, Murwillumbah - Bird Nerds (Aug - Oct)
Black Fig Gallery, Alstonville - Winter Season (August)
Brunswick Street Gallery, Fitzroy - Winter Light
Incognito Show, Sydney
Gallery 3, Byron Bay - Micro 30
2024
Byron School of Art, Mullumbimby – Colour Theory
The Bank Gallery, Mullumbimby – Grand Opening
Mist Gallery, Cabarita Beach – Season of Renewal
Mist Gallery, Cabarita Beach - Summer Love
2023
Mist Gallery, Cabarita Beach – Women of the Tweed
Mist Gallery, Cabarita Beach – Harvest
Mist Gallery, Cabarita Beach – Place In The Sun
2022
Mist Gallery, Cabarita Beach – Habitat
Mist Gallery, Cabarita Beach – Dare to Dream
Mist Gallery, Cabarita Beach – Style de Maison
Mist Gallery, Cabarita Beach – Charis
Incognito Show – Sydney
2021
Mist Gallery, Cabarita Beach – Encore
Mist Gallery, Cabarita Beach – Dream Big
Mist Gallery, Cabarita Beach – The Home Show
Mist Gallery, Cabarita Beach – Love Where We Live II
Mist Gallery, Cabarita Beach – Summer Breeze
2020
Mist Gallery, Cabarita Beach – The Great Outdoors
Mist Gallery, Cabarita Beach – Wild at Heart
Mist Gallery, Cabarita Beach – Love Where We Live
Contact:
[email protected]
0419870305