Professional Fine Arts Education:

      1947-1951         Eastern Michigan University; B.S. Degree; Major Art Education; Ypsilanti, Michigan 

      1951-1952         Wayne State University; Drawing; Evening Classes; Michigan

      1954-1963         University of Washington; M. Ed. Degree; Major, Educational Psychology

      1969-1971         Individual Studies Painting; Day/Evening Classes; Seattle, Wa

      1955-1956         Seattle University; Painting; Evening Classes, Seattle, Wa

      1964-1965         Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts;  Fleisher Art Memorial, PA

                              Tyler School of  Fine Arts; Philadelphia, Pa;  Drawing/Painting              

      1986-1988         Edmonds Community College;  Sculpture, Lynnwood, Wa

      1989-1992         Professional Art Group; Drawing, Langley, Wa

                              Professional Art Group; Drawing; Seattle, Wa

      1996-1998            Professional Landscape Field Studies, Anacortes,  Wa             

Professional Art Teaching Experience:

      1951-1952         Art Teacher K-8; Croswell, Michigan

      1955-1956         Arts and Crafts Teacher;  Edmonds, Wa

      1964-1965         Art Teacher, J.H.S.; Ann Arbor, Michigan; Adult Painting Classes, Evenings

      1989-1991         Private Classes; Freeland, Wa;  Adult Painting , Acrylics

Juried Art Shows:

      1974                 Pacific Northwest Annual, Bellevue, Wa, Sculpture

      1976                 University Street Fair, Seattle, Wa, Sculpture

      1984                 Pacific Northwest Annual, Bellevue, Wa, Painting

      1989                 Edmonds Annual Art Show, Edmonds, Wa, Painting

      1989-1995         Choochokum Annual Art Show, Langley, Wa, Drawings

      1990                 Edmonds Annual Art Show, Edmonds, Wa, Paintings

      1990                 Mercer Island Visual Arts Fair, Mercer Island, Wa, Painting

                                  (Prize for Excellence in Painting)

      1991-2000         Wa State Arts Commission – Art in Public Places Program; Artists Resource Bank

       1996-1998         Sami American Art Exhibits, Superior, Wi; Chisholm, Mn; Grand Marais, Mn, Paintings

      1997-1998         Trinity Lutheran Church, Freeland, Wa, Paintings

       1998                     Invitational:  Nordic Heritage Museum, Seattle, Wa, Paintings

       1998                 Artists for Tibet, Langley, Wa, Painting

       1999                      Pacific Lutheran University, Scandinavian Center, Tacoma, Wa

       2000                      Indigenous People’s Invitational Art Exhibit, Tromso, Norway

Gallery Affiliations:

      1990-1991         “Kaleidos”, La Conner, Wa;  “Geo-Arte”, Hollywood, Ca

      1990-1991         “Melange”, Seattle, Wa

      1990-1991         “Aurora Borealis”, Seattle, Wa

      1993-1994            “Altair”, Langley, Wa

      1995-1998            “Bayview Gallery”, Clinton/Langley, Wa

      1999                       “Magic of Music Festival”, Pacific Lutheran University, Tacoma, WA

      2000-pres            "Helppie Art Inc."

Collections:

                              City University, Bellevue, Wa, Paintings

                              Edmonds Community College; Lynnwood, Wa, Sculpture

                              BFGoodrich, Transportation Division, Everett, Wa, Painting

                              Numerous American and International Private Collectors; Paintings, Sculptures

                              State of Washington, Artist Resource Bank; Paintings

                                             Minter Creek Elementary School, Gig Harbor, Wa, Painting

                                             Graham Elementary School, Graham, Wa, Painting

                                             Lakeview Elementary School, Clover Park School Dist., Tacoma, Wa, Painting

                                             Oakwood Elementary School, Clover Park School Dist., Tacoma, Wa, Painting

                                             Auburn School District, New Elementary #12 & New J.H., Auburn, Wa, Painting

                                             Sunnyside Elementary School, Pullman, Wa, Painting

                                             Betz Elementary School, Cheney, Wa, Painting

                                             Lakewood Middle School, Lakewood, Wa, Painting

                                             Ridgeview Elementary School, Kennewick, Wa, Painting

                                             Middle School, Concrete, Wa, Painting

                                             Fife Primary School, Fife, Wa, Painting

                                                        Child Study & Treatment Center, Tacoma, Wa, Painting

                                             Oliver Hazen High School, Renton, Wa Painting

Artist’s Statement

I have lived and worked the past sixteen years on Whidbey Island, which has had a significant impact upon my painting.  My feelings are influenced by my earth oriented environment, which surrounds my studio located on a high hill overlooking large stands of fir trees, mountain ranges, and salt water views.  Wildlife is in abundance.  There are many varieties of bird life, curious wandering deer, solitary coyotes and owls hooting for prey in the darkness of night.

More on a mystical plane, I feel some kind of a kinship with my ancestors who lived a semi-nomadic lifestyle above the arctic circle in Northern Finland.  They were “SAMI” reindeer herders, fisherpersons, woodspersons and plain survivors.  I find this beautiful earth of ours a soulful place where each tree, bush, blade of grass, insect, animal and human is a sojourner in some kind of harmony of time and place.  I feel a primitive life force that sometimes unconsciously influences my choices of pigment, brush, color schemes and composition.  Thus my paintings will contain elements of human life forms interrelated with the energy of our planet earth.  They are energy and emotion personified. 

One of my “SAMI” ancestors had the reputation of being a Healing Shaman and I often seem to feel his image communicating to me saying,  “Do no harm to the earth or any of the creatures thereon; Portray people and nature together and recognize the sacredness of life, of all things; Love this beautiful planet.”

Finally, I’m not always sure what the outcome will be of the painting process.  I guess I just love painting, mixing color combinations, exploring all kinds of line, glazes, scumbles, and impastos until some sixth sense tells me that the painting is done.  Sometimes I redo old paintings, touch up others, cover everything up and whatever else that strikes my fancy!  I paint to paint; I love to paint; I live to paint.  My Shaman prayer would be to share the product of my inner world paintings with generations to come.  The Shaman paintings have been shown in Tromso, Norway as part of an invitational indigenous people’s conference, where the American-Sami Artists were featured.

Finally, I am fortunate to be able to explore painting in a variety of directions without seeking a style, signature method or working for any specific market.  As a result, my work has changed markedly through the years and is always fresh and different – at least from my viewpoint.

-Dennis Maxwell Helppie-

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