Hello :) I'm Helen – wife of 1 man, Mum of 2 teenagers and chief keeper-aliver of 2 fish, 1 axolotl and many, many plants. I'm a very happy artist, a keen gardener and a joyful wine drinker (of the red variety).

I love painting and have done all my life. My work has jumped around a bit over the last few years and it could be argued that I'm still trying to work out what to do when I grow up! But one thing that my work always has in common is 'ordinary joy' - I love celebrating the small things in life that can bring us joy every day if we let them. 

I try to keep my glass half full and always count my blessings every day – even when things go a bit pear-shaped! I've never seen Game of Thrones, never read 50 Shades of Grey and I hate baked beans. Like really hate baked beans. Oh and never tickle me – otherwise I'm likely to punch you in the face.