Transferred in Toronto in 1985, she established her residence in Muskoka, Ontario where she enjoyed a wild and rugged environment that she transposed into her pictorial work. Helene started watercolor classes at the Haliburton Highlands School of Fine Arts where she spent her summers, from 1991 to 1994, studying various painting subjects. In 1995 she enrolled in a four-year program in Drawing and Painting at Ontario College of Art & Design where she was accepted with an Advanced Standing Status. Her last year of studies was spent in Florence, Italy, in 1998-1999. Helene graduated with Honors in June 1999.