Helen Towner draws upon natural world in her artwork

Helen Towner has been drawing all her life; art is in her blood. Nonetheless, thanks to the Yoga East Healing Arts Studio, she is experiencing a first in her career as an artist.

"This is my first solo show," Towner said.

She was referring to "Flora, Fauna, Land, Sky, Water: Drawings and Paintings by Helen Towner," which is the name of her collection of original artwork now on display at the yoga studio. Her work made its debut Feb. 6 as part of the Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce's First Friday series.

Promoted by the Arts Council of Southeast Missouri, First Friday evening receptions take place at local galleries and studios the first Friday of each month; the next will be March 6.

"A lot people liked [my work]," Towner said. She said there are many close-ups and local landscapes. Towner said she enjoyed the event as much as those who came to view her work or wandered in to see what was going on.

Sara McNeil is a First Friday host and part of the Yoga East family. She said she could not be more pleased with the studio's decision to display Towner's art.

"People love Helen Towner's work. They love the intricacy and the delicacy and the fidelity of her reproductions, as well as her attention to detail," McNeil said.

"Helen Towner's show was probably one of the best-attended shows Yoga East has ever hosted in the year or so we've been displaying art," McNeil said.

"Tiger Swallowtail in Echinacea," colored pencil by Towner

She said she is expecting another good turnout on the First Friday of March, as Towner's work still will be on display.

People do not have to wait until the next First Friday to see Towner's work, however. Those who come in for yoga or just stop in during studio hours can view her work.

"Students taking classes at the studio have marveled at her work," McNeil said.

Towner majored in drawing and painting in college and also has honed her skills by teaching art. She taught at an art museum in Iowa and worked at Cottonwood Residential Treatment Center, becoming a teaching assistant.

"It's nice to be part of the community ... to be a part of what's going on in the bigger scheme of things," she said.

Her artistic talent has been shaped by other artists whose work has inspired her.

"Artists of influence for me are Albrecht Durer, Andrew Wyeth and Georgia O'Keeffe," to name a few, she said. "I'm eclectic in my interest."

"Dragonfly Over Water," colored pencil by Helen Towner

She attributed that diversity to being a teacher, which has enabled her to "learn so much from so many."

She recently became interested in a group in Canada called the Group of Seven.

"Helen Towner is a highly skilled, highly trained artist and observer who sees beauty in nature; she's been fascinated by the natural world since she was a child," McNeil said. "She sees and loves minutiae, the small things, and she reproduces them faithfully because she understands their fragility. She knows that flowers and butterflies and snow and light on water are ephemeral, and she captures them to preserve their beauty for us, and so they will be remembered and celebrated."

Towner celebrates her favorite piece, "Moon Moth on Birch," a piece McNeil said "has garnered lots of compliments." Describing its creation, Towner said she and family were staying in a cabin, and she went out on the lake.

On a lily pad, she spotted a moth that was "missing one rear wing." She brought it in and took a picture of it on birch. "Any photo work that I do is usually photos that are personal to me. ... This particular one I love the most," she said

"Tiger Lillies," colored pencil by Towner

McNeil added, "I believe Helen's work is a lot about love, love for created things, but also a reverence for the precision and intricacy that those created things show forth. These intelligent designs that bespeak a designer, a creator, who pays attention to the tiniest of details, too. That's what I think distinguishes her work."

While Towner enjoys painting and said she is learning how to work with water colors, she is most comfortable with colored pencils -- perhaps as much for practicality as anything else.

"Colored pencils make it easy," she said. "It eliminates the need to carry water around."

McNeil attested to Towner's talent with colored pencils. "Her technique, especially with colored pencils, is remarked upon repeatedly," she said. In fact, "her images are often mistaken for photographs."

Ever the teacher, Towner offered advice to those interested in making a career out of art. "Practice, practice, practice," she said. "When it comes to creating art, some people think it comes naturally, but you just have to keep at it."

And though she understands the desire to be a professional artist, "being known is not the reason to create art," she said. "The reason I do it is because I love it."

Towner's work will remain on display at Yoga East through the end of March, and her collection will be the highlight of the First Friday reception from 6 to 8 p.m. March 6. More information is available by contacting Yoga East Healing Arts Studio at 573-388-7272 or visiting yogaeasthealingarts.com.

Pertinent address:

827 Broadway, Cape Girardeau, Mo.