Helen Mary Beck is a fine art textile artist now living in Cambridge, Wisconsin. Having been raised in the UK and lived in Africa for over 6 years, she believes in the power of creative expression transcending cultural and language barriers. With a background in Art Therapy, Helen is passionate about the importance of story telling in art making. Her recent Botanical Series developed as she explored the observations of nature from a young British artist in the early 1900's who documented her botanical studies in a diary which has since been published 'The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady.' Botanicals
and butterflies, for Helen, are symbolic of the promise of hope. She paints with watercolor onto canvas then works into her pieces with embroidered textiles.

"My work seeks to celebrate and appreciate the simplicity of life, the delicate yet powerful richness found within nature, and the profound impact it can have on us when we take the time to listen. Taking that time to let nature speak to us, through its extravagent boldness yet sensitive delicacy, heralds such hope and destiny over our lives. My years of living abroad have opened my eyes to desire to capture the symbolic messages and the power of storytelling within nature that is continuous throughout the generations and across every race and culture."

Beck's contrast of the unpredictability of her bold watercolor on canvas combined with the meticulous detail of her embroidered patterns gives her work a striking individuality.