About the artwork on this site...

As I explained in the introduction, Helder created all of the artwork on these pages over the last thirty years or so. Most were created using digital images for reference. Helder’s son gleaned the images of the refugees in Northern Thailand, and the majority of the rest were gleaned by Helder. While he enjoyed painting on location (Plein Air) from time to time, he said the work he appreciated most was created in the controlled environment of his studio.

Most of the pieces in the Helder Blog are available as Giclee prints on watercolor paper from our print studio. We use a 12-color pigment ink (not dye) printer so we can be sure that the Giclees are as close to the original as possible. Helder believes in ‘Art for Everyone,’ and our prices reflect his beliefs.

If you are drawn to a particular piece, please drop us a note — referencing the piece you are interested in — in the Contact form of the Helder Blog and we will correspond via email regarding the print options and costs. Giclee prices range from $35 – $126 plus shipping. All purchases are completely refundable within 30 days; either you love it, or you don’t. Just drop us a note!

Blue Ridge Parkway

Helder received the image on a road trip to teach a five-day watercolor workshop in South Carolina. He enjoyed teaching Watercolor painting, and at one time, he taught many students.

A portrait of Claire’s younger brother.

An old cabin deep in the Maine woods. Peeking in reminds me of the inner shadow work we all must do if we are to be peace-full. Yes…there is darkness in there, and the sooner we make friends with it, the sooner we may be healed.

The images for this study were received on a Pennsylvania back road heading West near the West Virginia border.

In the Allegheny

Painting on Sandy Creek in Northern PA near Clarion, PA.

Praying at Gulu

The image was received at Pabbo Camp in Northern Uganda. The child was 17 years old and had lived in a UN internally displaced camp her entire life.

Black Eyed Susans

All of the several paintings I did of this flower I painted in my SIL’s garden near Morgantown, WV.

Painted from images received in the mountainous Boulachecke region of Eastern Uganda.

harcoal sketch from images received in the North of Thailand at a Khemer refugee camp.

Khmer Refugee 5

Images received in the North of Thailand at a Khemer refugee camp.

Bishop of Southern Sudan

We met the Bishop at the Namarembe guest house in Kampala, Uganda, where he was living in exile due to the Muslim wars against the Christians in the South of Sudan. It has been 20 years since I Painted This Portrait, and The Atrocities continue.

Archbishop of Uganda, Henri Orembe

Image received at the Namarenbe guest house in Kampala, Uganda. Henri invited us to accompany him—since he was traveling with a military escort—to Gulu, where a war against women and children had been raging for 20 years.

The photo for this charcoal sketch was received at a pub overlooking a fishing harbor on the East coast of Nova Scotia.

The image for this painting was taken while waiting for the ferry to take us to the North shore of the Nile River. The Northside was the war zone, and these nuns were putting themselves at great risk. This painting took ‘Best of Show,’ Pittsburgh Watercolor Society, in which I was a juried member.

The Farm, Woke!

Claire and Helder’s farm. The image was received on the back roads of West Virginia.

Charcoal sketch from a digital image series to produce a painting for the ‘Wall of Shame’ for a former dean of the seminary I attended.

A charcoal sketch from an image received of a Khmer refugee in the North of Thailand.

Charcoal sketch from an image received at Bufumbo, Uganda, E.A.

Charcoal sketch from an image received at Bufumbo, Uganda, E.A.

Permission to Die

The image for this painting was received while in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Plein-Aire painting during a watercolor workshop I was teaching in the Outer Banks of South Carolina.

The image for this painting was received by my son while in Thailand.

The image for this watercolor sketch was received at a medical clinic during our time with the Battwa (Pygmy) people in the impenetrable forest region on the border between Uganda and Congo.

Girl at the Window

Painted from a black-and-white image, I saw in a magazine. I was captivated by the winsomeness, and it instantly delivered me to empathy and an inexplicable sense of oneness with her.

A young Ugandan orphan girl who was adopted by an American family.

Brothers at Boulechecke

In the mountains between Uganda and Kenya.

The image for this painting was received by my son while in Thailand.

Shema, Thou Shalt Love

The image for this painting was received by my son while in Thailand.

Liza, my granddaughter

In this sketch, she is four years old. That impish look remains on her to this day.

While visiting our friend Oliva, we were up to our armpits in children everywhere we went. If a man dies, his brother must marry his wife and raise his children. It was not uncommon to see families of three wives and 20 children in the wake of the AIDS epidemic.

Beautiful child. One of several paintings from images received by my son in Thailand.

A charcoal sketch done in prep for the larger painting, ‘Magdalene and Nicodemus.’

Black Eyed Susans

All of the several paintings I did of this flower I painted in my SIL’s garden near Morgantown, WV.

Our Friend Oliva

We worked closely with Oliva in Uganda, who ran a humble Christian group called ‘Women Concerned Ministries’ that supported AIDS orphans. Mission work done for the purpose of converts never appealed to me. Healing people did.

One of many paintings and sketches Helder created using the work of several photographers who were documenting the plight of the Native Americans in the mid to late 1800s.

Another portrait of Claire’s younger brother.

Phnom Penh. She gathered the snails from the many drainage ditches throughout the city in the morning and placed them on the flat metal top of a push-cart where they would cook in the heat of the day and then sell them as snacks. Kinda like a ‘Food Truck.’

A Mind at Trust

Painting, ‘Mother and daughters,’ at a gathering in Bufumbo, Uganda. I Love the Mother’s response-’No Way’, Middle daughter-’Well Maybe,’ young daughter-’Now this looks like fun.’

Market Day at Kabale

Kabale is in extreme Southwestern Uganda. To its immediate South is Rwanda, and to the west is Congo.

The boy on the left was the oldest of six boys who inherited the care of his siblings after his parents died of AIDS. The boy to his left is watching the rain pour in on us for the lack of a proper roof on the home his father had started for them.

This painting speaks to me of the faceless reality of the Battwa people of Western Uganda.

Ankola Crossing

They are the cattle of Northern Uganda, and yes, their horns are really that big. But, they are hollow.

The Ankola are the cattle of Northern Uganda, and yes, their horns are really that big. But as I found out later, they are hollow.

The Grey People. One of many paintings and sketches Helder created using the photography of several photographers who were documenting the plight of the Native Americans in the mid to late 1800s.

One of many paintings and sketches Helder created using the photography of several photographers who were documenting the plight of the Native Americans in the mid to late 1800s.

One of many paintings and sketches Helder created using the photography of several photographers who were documenting the plight of the Native Americans in the mid to late 1800s.

One of many paintings and sketches Helder created using the photography of several photographers who were documenting the plight of the Native Americans in the mid to late 1800s.

Phnom Penh fast food

Am I Good? Carrying her raw makings in the baskets and the pot to heat them with, she traveled on foot from place to place and offered a hot lunch to anyone who could pay for it.

Careful Consideration

Father of Jesus. A painting for the ‘Wall of Shame’ of a former dean, now deceased, of the seminary we attended. A good friend to both Claire and I.

Collared Lizard. This gorgeous creature posed for several digital images about three miles into an eight-mile hike of Pollock’s Bench trail in the McGinnis Canyons Conservation Area.

My son received this image in the Buffalo Peaks wilderness area.

I know I’m finally home when I can listen to the song of the pack in the evening as they gather to hunt. Claire and I had a dog that the Vet said was half coyote. The smartest dog I ever knew.

I received this image in my own front yard. She is feeding on the blooms of the ‘Lamb’s Ears.’

I received this image in my own backyard.

I received this image while camping in the White River National Forest, Flattops Wilderness Area. Robins are very gregarious and make friends easily.

We had a number of these gentle creatures on our farm in PA.

Sister Bear stopped by for a brief visit during our early morning coffee while we were camped on Anthracite Creek, McClure Pass. She was on the other side of the creek from us.

Tuna Sandwich. Our son hunting elk in the Holy Cross Wilderness above Vail, CO.

These peaks, on the West side of Trail Ridge, are the source of the Colorado River, which, at this point, a person can step across.

Brother Michael

An Adult Faith. A portrait Helder did of a dear friend.

When he died, our neighbors asked me to do a portrait from a photo they had received. I really enjoyed creating pet portraits.

Strollers on the Beach

Lamode beach in Thailand. The pointy hats give the location away.

She was our Guide on a float trip we took on the Nile River in 2004. Ruth said that the most dangerous animal in the river was not the Crocs or the Elephants, but the Hippos.

Sisters at Boulachecke

The expressions on their faces tells the story. Backs to the wall, suspicious, wary, and with good reason. It was said in that culture, “if you have sex with a virgin, you will be cured of the ‘thinning’ disease,” or AIDS.

Another from the images gleaned in Boulachecke. For this piece I worked in negative, removing highlights with a sponge, and working back in with white chalk.

She watched every move I made from the door of the clinic we were helping with. It may have been the color of my skin that fascinated her. We were in many places in Uganda where white skin was novel to the children.

They were headed back to their forest home after clinic. The bundle on her head is equivqlent ot our back. All of the provisions necessary for the day away with small children.

Fr Patrick, an episcopal priest and very talented actor was the model. I received digital images as he spoke and acted the Sermon on the Mount. He was a huge fan of the teaching of Spirituality and the Arts. Patrick is a wonderful artist.

The original image for this interpretation is from the movie “Jesus of Nazareth” directed by Franco Zeffirelli. I am fortunate to own a copy of the book with stills assembled by William Barclay in 1977. The finest movie ever made on the life of Jesus.

This piece was an oil on canvas. Depicting that moment when Mary realizes that the gardener she was speaking with is actually Jesus.

The grandaughter of Wakamiere in Mbale, Uganda. Waiting for her breakfast.

Phnom Penh, on the Mekong River, is a city of many backwaters and canals, many of which serve as sewage canals. These homes (for the poor) are built on stilts in order to avoid the floods of the rainy season.

No Thoroughfare Canyon

is exactly that—a challenge to the most seasoned hikers. I painted this for my sister, Maureen, who, being an art appreciator, wanted something of mine for her collection. I was inspired as I painted to include an image of her deceased husband, who had crossed when he was only 50. See him in the lower center, just entering the deep woods.

They all sat on the grass waiting for their lunch to be served. Everywhere we went in Uganda we were up to our armpits in children. Beautiful Children.

Bufumbo Beauty Sketch

On this journey, I was using a compact camera with a tilting screen I could see without holding it up to my face, so…I was able to receive very candid images.

Sitting on the grass waiting patiently for lunch.

A quick watercolor sketch of Claire.