My Lovely Pond Helen Zarin (b. 1970) Oil on Canvas, 50 x 50 in. Helen Zarin was born in Shiraz, Iran. Zarin remembers painting as early as the age of five. As a high school student, she studied with the well-known Persian artist and teacher, Saber. Later, she enrolled in the Art and Cultural Society, a national organization for gifted Persian artists. Political considerations caused the Zarin family to leave Iran when she was a teenager and immigrate to the US. As a painter she has successfully bridged the divide between Impressionism and abstraction. Her works have an explosive beauty using color and space to achieve striking compositions.