The Stories of Bodies, Busts, and Faces

Helen was varried in her artistic subjects, mediums, and styles, but what remained a constant was her interest in people, and the stories their appearence tells. Helen's choice of muses were unique, they were varried across continents, class, and expression. It was clear that Helen wanted to explore and convey the spectrum of the human condition. 

Her upbringing as a wealthy and sheltered Conneticut socialite likely led her to seek out diversity, and to break away from that homogenous society. Helen's self portrait has a sharp, forceful, and questioning stare. This is one of her earlier works, before she was granted freedom to explore and travel. This drawing conveys a sense of self determination even from a young age. 

Her interest in capturing the faces of the lower and working classes is evident in her portraits, such as those of a Soviet peasant woman, and an Irish fisherman. For the majority of history, "fine" art was predominently focused on the upper or ruling classes, and the faces of the "common people" are mostly lost. 

Helen centered family members in a number of her pieces—even leading to her meeting her husband. The bust of Helen's grandmother, Susan Huntington-Hooker is able to capture the details and essence of Susan beyond the abilites of the photographs of her. She produced a colorful portrait of her young son Cormac, and upon meeting her future husban, was so taken by his strong features, that she immediately needed to sulpt his face. 

Helen worked beyond faces, and produced some full-bodied sculptures. Her full bodied images focused on creating movement within a single frame. The a large collection of her sculptures are held at the University of Limerick in Ireland.