She attended the Portuguese Engravers Cooperative, the National Society of Fine Arts, and the Art and Visual Communication Center (ARCO). 

Lena paints in oils on canvas and works in pastels and India Ink. She also works in mixed media - engraving and painting in oils and acrylic on leather. Her work shows the influence of her Azorean roots. This is very evident in the nostalgia and poetic expressionism that portrays a strong connection to her birthplace.

From 1987 to present, Lena has exhibited in Portugal, Cape Verde, Spain, Finland, Macau, Canada, France and the United States.

She was awarded a silver medal by the European Academy of Arts at the International Painting Exhibit in Paris in 1996, and received an Honorable Mention at the Faro Art Fair (Portugal). She is represented in several collections in Portugal, Holland, Austria, Spain and the United States.