Helena Krivkina was born on April 12, 1967 in the Kursk region, an industrial part of Russia in the Soviet Union. Her parents both worked at an equipment plant and Helena spent much of her lonely childhood drawing in sketch books. She envisioned distant lands, ships and exotic locales that continue to be expressed in her art to this day. Helena studied painting at the local institute and she worked at a career in graphic design. She is married with two children, but Helena always finds time to paint.