Helen has been involved with textiles, embroidery and craft all her life. She attended school in Canberra and studied librarianship while working at the Australian National University. She later worked on community and school craft projects while a librarian in Ryde. On returning to Canberra in 1982 she continued this interest in craft, working with a number of organizations and completed three Artist-in-Resident projects at the Canberra Grammar School.

Helen is a Life Member of the Embroiderer’s Guild New South Wales and has gained their Teaching Skills Certificate. She has a Diploma in Creative Clothing and Textiles from TAFE. She has been a member of the Embroiderer’s Guild ACT, The Canberra Quilters and other textile groups. She designs and makes church vestments.

In 2006 Helen Graduated from the Australian National University School of Art with a Diploma in Textiles. On graduation, Helen was awarded an Emerging Artists Award that allowed her hand made silk and wool felt items to be exhibited in the National Gallery Shop. She was also awarded with a Merit Certificate from the Design Council for the work she produced for her final exhibition at the ANU.

While at university she attended drawing classes and later studied watercolour painting under Noel Ford. In 2009 she attended a course with Helen Fitzgerald. Since then has attended many workshops with local and interstate tutors in watercolour painting and Botanical Art. She has always had an interest in Australian wildflowers so became a Friend of the Australian National Botanic Gardens.

Helen attended many workshops with the Artist’s Society of Canberra (ASOC) and in 2024 won First Prize in the Miniature Section of their exhibition. She has been exploring working with coloured pencils and acrylic paints for some time. In July 2012 and 2013 she attended the Sturt Winter School in Mittagong and participated in the workshops in Botanical Art with the well-known Australian tutor, Leonie Norton. She has attended workshops overseas with Leonie as well.

Helen joined the Botanical Art Group at the Australian National Botanical Gardens and has exhibited in their annual Art in the Gardens With Friends exhibitions for many years. She has also taken on private commissions. In 2024 she has exhibited with the Botanical Artist Society of Australia (BASA) and sold her work as a result. Through a friendship group of Botanical Artist, she has exhibited and sold her work at a number of small exhibitions in Canberra.

Helen has been awarded many prizes for her textile work and been recognised for her Botanical Art. Her textiles and art is held in private collections in Australia, The United Kingdom, Japan, The Netherlands, Austria, Germany and Canada. Painting and drawing has proved to be her most rewarding past time and Botanical Art the most absorbing.