Anne Helene Ytreoy
In 1973, aged 18, Anne Helene left her hometown of Bergen for warmer climes, spending several years sailing the Mediterranean and Ionian seas before settling down to a new life in England.
Emigrating from Norway thwarted Anne Helene’s intentions to enrol at The Bergen College of Fine Art. Another 30 years would pass, consumed by travel, marriage and raising four children, before she fulfilled her artistic ambitions. After completing a two-year Foundation course in Art and Design at Weston College, followed by a three-year course in Fine Art, Anne Helene graduated with a degree in Fine Art in 2005.
After experimenting with different mediums and techniques, and a series of local exhibitions and bespoke commissions, today, Anne Helene’s art shuns preconceived subject matter or destinations. The content of each piece evolves only as the canvas takes shape. Driven by spontaneous emotional responses to the moment, Anne Helene’s work presents highly personal, sometimes uplifting, sometimes troubling, but always true reflections of her innermost soul. In more perhaps, than just a passing nod to her Viking heritage, every blank canvas beckons a therapeutic journey of exploration, destination unknown, until her emotions are spent.
 Turmoil |
|---|
 Tuscany Blues |
 Norse Tale |
 Pathways |
 Life Changes |
 Mirror Mirror |
 Fest |
 Pressure |
 Trapped |
 Sucked In |
 Window on the World |
 Where The North Wind Blows IMG_2652 |
 Strutting Their Stuff |
 The Sky's The Limit |
Many of her abstracts represent strength, a sense of belonging, through a sharpness and clarity of form that borrow heavily from her Motherland’s clean, glacially-carved seascapes and landscapes.
Some abstracts are tempered with elements of realism, to convey the ever-present euphoria, despair and humour that life brings, a sense of family, sometimes broken, sometimes whole.
An odyssey into the emotions of the soul can be a lonely journey, with no final destination. As Anne Helene continues exploring new techniques and styles, ‘Soul Reflections’ is the latest staging post on a deeply personal journey.