About the Artist - Helene English graduated from Syracuse University in 1974 with a BFA in Painting. From 1976-1981, Helene lived in New York City where she was a textile designer for the fashion industry. After living and working in the fashion industry in NY for 5 years she moved to the Eastern Shore of Maryland with her husband, Chris. Helene worked for an advertising / graphic design agency where she designed logos, brochures and newspaper ads.

Helene and Chris began a stationery business called Fresh Local Cards in 1993. They created a product line that was designed, hand printed, and manufactured by the two of them. Their products were sold globally and featured in national magazines such as Seventeen and Family Circle. Designs were purchased by museums and companies such as The Corcoran Gallery of Art , The American Museum of Folk Art, The Kennedy Center , The Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, The Ward Museum, The United Way, The Kentucky Derby and The Limited. Helene and Chris have owned and operated Fresh Local Cards for 15 years. 

The multitude of tasks involved in running Fresh Local Cards has helped her understand the “ business of creativity ”. Fresh Local Cards has evolved into a business that also designs and prints custom wedding invitations using an antique letterpress. Currently, Helene English is an adjunct professor in the Department of Fine Arts at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. She teaches Two Dimensional Design, Three Dimensional Design and Exploration Of  The Visual Arts. She has been teaching at UMES since  Fall 2003.

Throughout her commercial art career.  Helene has kept her art as a separate entity   She is inspired by her surroundings, experiences and forms that she is familiar with. Since 2003, images from the boardwalk in Ocean City, Maryland have been her subject matter. Her medium is oil on canvas as well as pastel. She has shown her work in numerous shows and galleries.