By Taylor Colby
Helen Curran, an oil painter based in Ponte Vedra Beach, recently won second place out of more than 180,000 entrants nationally at The People’s Artist Competition presented by Johnny Depp and hosted by Art of Elysium. Elysium, an artist organization that believes that art can become a catalyst for social change through service, helped raise $6.9 million.
Curran is passionate about helping others. In 2025, a friend told her about Art with a Heart in Healthcare, a nonprofit that provides personalized art experiences to help support the healing process for hospital patients and their families. Curran participated by donating one of her paintings to their silent auction.
“I was so touched by what they are doing for these children, and so I got involved and plan to continue to contribute to the organization again and again by donating my art to help them raise funds for such an incredible and important cause. I plan to donate art again this year for their upcoming fundraiser event scheduled for this coming October,” she said.
Curran’s art is inspired first and foremost by her mother, who was a designer of luxurious evening wear. Curran became captivated by the textures and colors featured in French haute couture. Her paintings are composed of beautiful color, light, shadow and textured, intricate details.
Curran won first place in the 2-dimensional painting category earlier this year at the Juried Artist Member Exhibition at the First Coast Cultural Center for her painting, “Santorini.” In addition, her painting “Where My Heart Lives” was featured at the St. Augustine Art Association in celebration of the American 250th anniversary. Two of her collections, “Dreaming in Textures,” and “Color in Motion,” will be featured in her upcoming exhibition at the First Coast Cultural Center opening on Oct. 15 at 6 p.m.
“Dreaming in Textures,” represents her vivid, complex, but joyful, textured memories, in addition to her dreams for her future. Her love for the ocean, its powerful, seductive, meditative trance it evokes in her and the beauty of Ponte Vedra Beach inspired her series “Color in Motion.”
“Overall, my art reveals stories of joyful experiences that have deeply inspired and continue to inspire me — vivid, textured tales that represent what is uniquely me,” she said.
“Ideally, I want to invite the viewer to escape the mundane or negative — even if for a fleeting moment — to experience the uplifting and textured emotions that I felt in the moment in time that inspired me to create.”
“Art is my form of meditation and joy,” Curran said. “I am inspired by the memories and dreams that guide what I paint. But above all, I am fascinated by human nature and the experiences that spark joy. I’m always watching, listening, experimenting and growing as an artist — continually searching for new inspiration and new ways to create work that invites the viewer to pause, connect and perhaps emerge in a sense of joy.”
Exciting things are coming for Curran’s art. Look for her feature in the upcoming fall issue of Artforum Magazine.
For commissioned pieces, contact helencurranartist@gmail.com.