Born in County Durham, Helen Lush trained at Loughborough College of Art and Design, leaving with a 2:1 Honours Degree in Textile Design in 1982. She moved to South Wales in 1984 and lives in Cardiff to the present day. She is a member of the group of artists and makers who have run the Cardiff Gallery, Oriel Makers, since 1991. She has exhibited her work in many galleries and puts on a Summer Exhibition of new work in Oriel Makers every year. In 2004 she took time out to gain a qualification in Garden Design and to travel to India and Italy all of which have made an impact on her work.

Helen works in pencil, pastel and watercolour, drawing inspiration from the texture, colour and mood she finds in her subjects and from the qualities peculiar to the media themselves. Landscapes, gardens, flora and street scenes are all given a semi-abstracted treatment. Often, a fascination with the subject will result in it being painted many times, variations being developed from peculiarites in the initial wash of watercolour.

In recent years Helen has been working on a series of paintings and drawings which reflect her love of plants and gardens. Many of these works dramatise single flower heads against intense colour. This collection of work is entitled "Botanica" and new examples were exhibited at the RHS Spring Flower Show in Cardiff last year and in the exhibition "Botanica 3" in Oriel Makers last summer. A selection of these works is now being shown at "Gallery in the Square", The Old Chapel, in Usk. Helen is now working on a new collection of paintings on a watery theme, including scenes of Venice inspired by a recent visit. An exhibition of these works, entitled "Time and Tide", will be shown in Oriel Makers from Saturday 22nd May to Saturday 26th June 2010. See Commissions page if you would like to commission a bespoke painting. Many of the paintings featured on this site are also available as prints: for more details please email Helen.