Original watercolour 'Gondola repair dock, Venice' by Helen Hale. ROI. B.1936 Signed. circa 1965.

Born in 1936 and educated at St. Georges School, Harpenden where designed books and book jackets. She then turned to full time painting and sculpture where she met her husband, the late Toby Horne Shepherd Since 1970 she has exhibited work in Munich, Paris, the Royal Scottish Academy and the Royal West of England Academy and in many shows throughout the UK. She has had a number of solo exhibitions, the most recent being at the Hawker Gallery in Amersham in 2003. She was elected to the ROI in 1973 and is a long term member of the Free Painters and Sculptors and the Society of Women Artists. She has won many awards for her paintings including the prestigious Llewellyn Alexander Prize and the LeClerc Fowle Medal (ROI) 1999, plus the Aya Broughton Award (NS 1999 and 2003).