Sitting in the tiled rooms of Topkapi Palace in Istanbul, gave rise to the idea that Helen Stewart wished to study the ancient art of mosaics.
Some years later she settled in Sydney, Australia where she spent a year studying traditional mosaic tiling using glass and tesserae.
In 1991 she established Helen Mary Stewart fine mosaics. The first piece she created was a shoe form covered in small hand cut shards of fine china. This original design soon became her signature.
Early on in her career she began a long standing working relationship with a client in Sydney who commissioned numerous mosaics from Helen. These included 9 bathrooms that are reminiscent of Antonio Gaudi(TM)s work in Barcelona, a Pebble Mosaic Ceiling, Mosaic Map, Mirrored Mosaic Bathroom and numerous smaller objet d(TM)art.
Her client base rapidly extended and so too did her capacity to design and execute mosaics that were notable for their high quality and clean design. Many clients continue to return to Helen for further commissions to add to their collections.
For the past 15 years Helen has continually refined her chosen art form and in doing so has aided the resurgence and popularity of mosaics. Her pieces have been bought for private collections around the globe.
In 2006 she returned to live in New Zealand with her partner Architect Grant Mears. In July 2006 she gave birth to their first child Oliver. She had been absent from her country for 21 years and is very pleased to have finally come home.
