As a contemporary painter, Helen Lewis works predominantly with pigmented beeswax, either in the form of encaustic or cold wax medium, and incorporates oil paint, oil pigment stick, dry pigment, or pastel into many of her pieces. Both mediums involve building up many layers, then excavating, carving into, and highlighting certain portions of the surface in order to emphasize the luminous qualities, depth, and textures that emerge. She uses a blow torch to fuse between the layers of her encaustic works. Although she has an initial plan when starting a painting, Lewis then works to build on developments that occur from the intrinsic characteristics of the medium as patterns form in the wax and pigments react to the blow torch. Her paintings often appear understated and minimalistic in tone, but upon closer inspection, intriguing and quiet conversations are happening within them.
Wilmington, North Carolina Star News writer, Justin Lacey, describes Helen's work, "the process is organic and intuitive, the results are very natural, like the embodiment of emotion."
Lewis's art is included in the book, The Art of Expressive Collage, by Crystal Neubauer, and has been featured in several magazines and publications, including Maine Home + Design magazine's "Ones to Watch" profile in the October 2016 issue; "Alternate Realities" art feature in April 2017; "Notable Maine Artists" profile in their Art Maine 2019 Annual Guide. She is represented by galleries in the Midwest and on the East Coast and her art is in private collections across the United States. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Mount Union in Alliance, Ohio.