Helen Ward

Helen Ward is a Bristol based artist and designer. Having graduated from UWE Bristol in 2001 with a graphic design degree, she started working as a paper engineer making pop-up books while training as a traditional bookbinder. Nowadays, Helen Ward works from home on her dining room table, armed with a scalpel and an exceptionally large stack of paper. The original idea for her paper entomology artwork came from acquiring a collection of Victorian hand marbled paper during her time working at the bindery. “The papers were all just so beautiful, I had to have them, and I hoarded them in a box for years before I knew what I was going to do with them all!” Some of the patterns in the papers reminded her of butterfly wings – and so the idea progressed. Helen Ward has since exhibited her work at several venues across the UK, as well as taking part in shows all over the world. She says she will never get bored of cutting the intricate pieces as the paper is all so beautiful.