Art College

I left school with four A Levels and completed a one year Foundation Art course. I then had a job in department store where I was in charge of the displays. Marriage and children then intervened but I took time to undertake various courses to extend my knowledge including life drawing, watercolours, history of art and china painting. I helped form a local art group and we organised successful selling exhibitions and raising money for a local Hospice. 

At this time I was accepting private commissions for such subjects as portraits of pets, film stars and children. I also started painting many pictures of teddy bears. I was inspired by a pose-able teddy bear which became the subject of many amusing pictures. I am still using that bear today.

Art degree

Realising I should take my art more seriously I enrolled as a (very mature!) student on an undergraduate course and finished with a BA in Art and English Literature. I sold two paintings at my graduation show. A local one woman exhibition led to more success when more large works were picked up by an Art In Hospitals organisation and went to a children’s ward at Scunthorpe Hospital.

Expanding my skills

I worked in a store selling specialist paints where I learned decorative paint effect techniques. I transferred to my local Stencil Store where I taught both stencilling and paint effects to adults. This led to commissions in private houses and businesses for paint effects, hand-painted kitchens, stencilling and even whole room murals. 

You can see some work in my shop on Etsy, Helen’s Creative Studio.

Recently I have enjoyed displaying my paintings in a one woman exhibition in the centre of York. A wide representation of my career in art is on show in the upstairs gallery at York City Screen Picturehouse, Coney Street and the exhibition finishes on 13th September 2024.