Artist: Helen Baeza
Helen lost her home in Trenton due to Hurricane Irene in August of 2011.
ArtSpace is important to Helen because it provides her a place to come and have a creative outlet. Participants in the art program have a chance to come in and stop thinking about their worries, even if it’s just for two hours a week. “It’s important for us to know that we can do something. Most people come in and say they can’t, but they surprise themselves.” She goes on to say, “most of us can’t have art supplies at home because our incomes prevent it.”
Helen is currently one of ArtSpace’s CWEPS, a HomeFront program that places clients in the WorkFirst program in internships in different HomeFront departments so that they can gain valuable work experience and build their resumes. She came to hold this position after attending an art class for WorkFirst clients in which she showed that her talents had been fostered for a long time.
Helen has enjoyed drawing since she was very young, and she studied graphic design in Guatemala starting in 2000, where she was introduced to digital imaging and Photoshop. The graphic qualities in her art have stood out from the beginning, with her ability to replicate any picture, shown most notably in her “Starry Night” chair. Helen’s daughters share her talent and interest in art. Her oldest, she says, is very talented but does not do much with art for fear of criticism. The younger daughter, though, loves to draw and has a lot of fun doing it.
ArtSpace is important to Helen because it provides her a place to come and have a creative outlet. Participants in the art program have a chance to come in and stop thinking about their worries, even if it’s just for two hours a week. “It’s important for us to know that we can do something. Most people come in and say they can’t, but they surprise themselves.” She goes on to say, “most of us can’t have art supplies at home because our incomes prevent it.”
Helen is currently one of ArtSpace’s CWEPS, a HomeFront program that places clients in the WorkFirst program in internships in different HomeFront departments so that they can gain valuable work experience and build their resumes. She came to hold this position after attending an art class for WorkFirst clients in which she showed that her talents had been fostered for a long time.
Helen has enjoyed drawing since she was very young, and she studied graphic design in Guatemala starting in 2000, where she was introduced to digital imaging and Photoshop. The graphic qualities in her art have stood out from the beginning, with her ability to replicate any picture, shown most notably in her “Starry Night” chair. Helen’s daughters share her talent and interest in art. Her oldest, she says, is very talented but does not do much with art for fear of criticism. The younger daughter, though, loves to draw and has a lot of fun doing it.
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