Artistic Approach:

Helen attended Art School in Scarborough, Yorkshire in the UK in her teens and met her New Zealand husband while working in London in publishing.

Busy family life didn’t leave much time for art, but eventually Helen started painting again and now finds her love of gardening and botanical art have blended together beautifully. Helen particularly loves painting native New Zealand flora.

Watercolour and colour pencil are her preferred media but Helen also likes to use pen and ink as well as printmaking techniques.

Helen regularly exhibits at the Auckland Botanical Garden Visitor Centre with the painting group that she has helped run for many years. Helen also exhibits at the Papakura Art Gallery, the Papakura Library and the Nathan Homestead.

She had a solo exhibition at the Cornwall Park Visitor Centre and had a painting chosen for publication in the 2009 Auckland Botanic Garden Friend’s calendar.

Affiliations:

Nathan Homestead - colour pencil group
Friends of the Auckland Botanic Gardens art group

Exhibitions:

2024

August - ‘Winter to Spring’ - Auckland Botanic Gardens

2023

‘Hidden Secrets’ - Auckland Botanic Gardens

2022

'The Art of Healing - Medicine, Myth and Magic' - Auckland Botanic Gardens

2020

‘The Big Show of Little Botanical Works’ - BASNZ annual exhibition, Auckland Botanic Gardens
‘Creativity Unlocked’ - Friends of Auckland Botanic Gardens Art Group annual exhibition

2019

‘In Memory of Banks and Solander’ - Friends of Auckland Botanic Gardens Art Group annual exhibition

2018

‘Botanical Art Worldwide - Nga Tipu Taketake – Indigenous Flora’,  Auckland Botanical Gardens, then Wellington Botanic Gardens and Millennium Public Gallery, Blenheim
‘In our Gardens’ - Friends of Auckland Botanic Gardens Art Group annual exhibition

2017

‘Weird and Wonderful’ - Friends of Auckland Botanic Gardens Art Group annual exhibition

2016

‘Seasons’ - Friends of Auckland Botanic Gardens Art Group annual exhibition

2009

Nathan Homestead, Auckland

2005

Solo exhibition Cornwall Park, Auckland

2001

‘Edible Flowers’, group exhibition, Auckland Botanic gardens