Pollinator Effect:  Watercolors by Helen Klebesadel’ offers the public a series of watercolor paintings on paper, aquabord and canvas that are inspired by native ecosystems,; the pollinators, songbirds and other creatures that depend upon them.  Many of the paintings are focused on the different types of native prairies and the plants within them.  Works representing the importance of prairie fires and the controlled burns necessary to sustain a healthy prairie are included. (In the USA tall grass prairies have been reduced to just 1% of their original area.  This makes prairies one of the rarest and most endangered ecosystems in the world).  The paintings are intended to celebrate and reinforce individual and institutional efforts that advance restoring ecologically sustainable relationships between people and the land. With these paintings I am working to help reconnect my audience with a love of the beauty of our natural world ...because we will work to protect what we love.

Exhibitions:

January 1, 2024 I started the 'Drawing A Day For Good' project in which I offered  an unframed  (and no mat) watercolor and ink artwork for sale each day at the price of $100. The profits were donated to good causes that I chose. As of January 1, 2025 I no longer posted daily but did continue drawing as time allowed.  In 2026 I still post works soon after I create them.  The new and remaining artworks are now sold matted or framed and at the market price.  However I  continue to donate the same portion of their sale to good causes of my choosing.  The times we are in give me plenty of options for where to put a little money for Good causes.

I originally planned to do the project for at least 30 days but January 2024 came and went and I decided to continue for a while since its still fun. I kept drawing and drawing, and soon the idea of continuing to post a drawing a day for an entire year seemed possible, so I did. Twelve months later the project allowed me to realize my goal AND put funds toward good causes of my choosing. In 2024 I created and posted 366 drawings (leap year) and posted them for sale for good causes. I have learned a lot about my creative process giving myself permission to draw almost every day as a visual meditation. These small works that are usually completed in one sitting are a lovely variation from my normal process where it can sometimes take more than a month to complete a painting.

Exhibitions:  Select framed pieces from this collection have been seen on display as a part of the following group exhibitions: 

($1000 +)

($500 to $1000)

(Under $500)

Over the years I have been approached to allow my art to grace the cover of some wonderful books and Journals.  Here are some of my favorite examples.

Artworks emphasizing abstract compositions.

Now available as 7"x5" fine art greeting cards.  The images listed here are now available as blank greeting cards on archival paper with envelopes for $8.00 apiece.  Contact Helen for direct sales or where to find venues carrying her fine art cards.  If there are particular pieces that you wish were available as fine art blank cards please let her know.

Limited and open edition of giclée prints of some of my most popular original watercolors.  Most editions are limited to a total of 100 prints.

 Archaeologists have discovered that knot tying dates back to prehistoric times. Besides their uses such as recording information and tying objects together, knots have interested humans for their aesthetics and spiritual symbolism. Knots appear in various forms of Chinese artwork dating from several centuries BC . The endless knot appears in Tibetan Buddhism, while the Borromean rings have made repeated appearances in different cultures, often representing strength in unity. The Celtic monks who created the Book of Kells created entire pages with intricate Celtic knot work. 

Scientific Knot Ribbon Theory is a part of differential geometry that is the study of mathematical that studies ribbon knots. It was inspired by knots which appear in daily life, however a mathematical knot differs in that the ends are joined so it cannot be undone. Knot theory was born out of a desire to understand our universe through a scientific lens. There was a theory in the 1860s that all the elements in the universe were made up of tiny knots, and thus mathematicians began to attempt to understand knots better. It took mathematicians approximately 50 years to categorize all the knots with up to 10 crossings. Many of the illustrations of these knots look like cultural the artifacts described above, There are geometric, algebraic, and topological ways of looking at knots and  ribbons that all provide different insights. It turned out the universe is NOT made up of tiny knots, but the studies came in handy when In the 1990s, geneticists began looking at knotted DNA and proteins through the lens of topology. They realized that since DNA is a long string that is clumped within the nucleus, there must be many twists and folds so that it all fits. Examining DNA ribbons from the view of knot theory may show us there is much more to learn from these mathematics that do not measure....