Helen Elliott was one of 14 artists chosen to take part in a course to train as a Golden Artist Educator – and she enjoyed a motorbike road trip along the way...

NEWCASTLE Emlyn artist, Helen Elliott, recently returned from a three-week trip to the USA where she was just one of 14 artists selected from over 200 to train as a Golden Artist Educator with Golden Paints in New Orleans.

She and her husband David then motorbiked through Nashville, Cincinnati and Virginia to Washington.

“I’ll never forget getting out of the taxi when I arrived in the heart of New Orleans with the music coming from all directions and feeling the overwhelming heat,” said Helen.

“Then walking into our hotel — fabulous old French colonial style; an open central courtyard with trees and birds flying around — where I was to stay for the Golden Training.”

“The training was quite technical,” explained Helen.

“It covered all aspects of working with acrylics; their chemical structures, how they work and how to get the best out of them. I’ve learned new techniques and how to work with pigments, textures and hues to get the look I want.”

After successfully completing the training, Helen and David hired a Harley Davidson motorbike and ventured forth into Louisiana, heading to all the towns they knew from songs — like Jackson and Tupelo, the birthplace of Elvis Presley.

The trip took them through the 400-mile-long Natchez Trace National Park with its speed limit of 40mph.

“It was like travelling though someone’s front garden, with mown lawns on either side,” said Helen.

“There was nothing there; no sign posts, no facilities apart from toilets, just the wildlife. If you needed a café or anything you had to leave the road and find a town.