@unskilledworker Paints the @gucci Show for the Fourth Time

To see more of Helen’s paintings, follow @unskilledworker on Instagram.

At Wednesday’s Gucci runway show in Milan, there were models, hair stylists, makeup artists and so many gorgeous clothes — but only one painter. Helen Downie (@unskilledworker) was in attendance for the fourth time as the house artist, invited by Alessandro Michele, Gucci’s (@gucci) creative director. Helen’s role is to document, in portraits with solemn eyes and colors that seem to bleed off of one’s phone, the enchantment of a Gucci show. “Alessandro is creating something so magical at Gucci, they are clothes that whisper of stories and adventure,” says Helen, who taught herself to paint two years ago. “I want to make faces that people find themselves being drawn into. Imperfections and honesty are what make people interesting and warm. I want that to be reflected in my work.”