Helena Broome was born in North London, England in 1969. After leaving high school she won a scholarship to study art in Italy, where she then spent 3½ years training as an oil painter at the Studio Cecil-Graves in Florence. She was taught the techniques of the Old Masters, which included such disciplines as grinding one's own paint and preparing one's own canvas.

On graduating, she returned to England. For her first commission she was asked to paint the portrait of the president of the International College of Surgeons. Later commissions took her abroad again, first to Egypt, and then to New Zealand, where her clients included an opera singer and a well-known conservationist. In addition to portraiture, she has painted many still-lifes and landscapes, and these have been exhibited widely in her home country of England, as well as abroad in countries such as America and New Zealand.

In 1998 Helena moved to Dorset, England, and continued to work both at home and abroad. Sadly, in 2005 her career as an artist came to an end, when she suffered a loss of eyesight which was later attributed to Multiple Sclerosis. Without the ability to paint, but with an existing collection of wonderful paintings, Helena began to consider ways in which she could still make her work available to others.

Helena now reproduces her paintings as greetings cards. Her hope is that this will enable more people to enjoy her work. Helena worked, alongside her husband Chris, to produce a range of ten cards in 2006. These were well received, and, prompted by that warm response, Helena and Chris added another ten designs in 2008, making a total collection of twenty designs.

Each of these cards was designed and printed in Dorset, England, and Helena oversaw their production virtually from start to finish, even to the extent of visiting the printing press to make last minute adjustments. Each card is laminated to preserve the effect of a varnished oil painting, and each card is sold in its own envelope, enclosed within a protective cellophane wrap. The cards are left blank so that one's own message may be written.

Following The Atelier Tradition
Training begins by learning how to draw. Sculpture plastercasts and nude figures are the principle subject matter, providing a firm foundation upon which to build. And then, when one finally begins to paint, new techniques are learned. The subject matter is usually drawn and painted "Sight Size": literally the size as seen by the artist; and training of the eye is supported by the use of a plumbline and a mirror. Click here to learn more.