Helen Hanson was born in Scarborough, Yorkshire, and studied French and Italian at London University. She spent the first half of her career teaching languages before deciding to become a professional artist. During her years of teaching, Helen developed a particular interest in etching. The familiar northern landscapes of the Lake District and Pennines provided the initial inspiration and focus for her ideas. Her work shows a fascination with the detail and pattern of plant life set against the changing aspects of the landscape. Colours, moods and textures develop from one plate to the next, often in a series of closely related images. Water and weather are recurrent themes, from her early Cumbrian landscapes to the Kent seascapes and East Anglian fens. Her etchings are on copper or zinc and make use of a wide range of innovative printmaking processes.Helen exhibits regularly in Britain and abroad. She is also a member of the Society of Botanical Artists, the Society of Women Artists, South Bank Printmakers and the highly successful Greenwhich Printmakers.