Always happiest when creating, Valerie experienced growing up in a rural, mountainous region of Canada as both isolating and inspirational. After a long period of making little art, she recently began to create images again. Among the mediums in which she works are watercolor, collage, fused glass, and photography. Valerie graduated from the Alberta College of Art with a degree in Photography yet felt disengaged from the mechanical relationship between subject and self; a part of her still wanted to push paint around, scribble, and let loose with marks that expressed as much as inquired. Upon her arrival in New York City in the 1980s, she dabbled in commercial photography but eventually found a way back to her original creative path through viewing exhibitions ranging from large-scale shows of works by master artists to intimate gallery offerings, art films, and lectures. She returned to utilizing simple materials, and the world regained color, expressiveness, and meaning. Making art again engaged Valerie, providing a voice – a visual voice – that became important. She cites a quote by Kurt Vonnegut that holds particular meaning for her: "Practicing an art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow...". Says Valerie, "Perhaps my self-discovery through art will resonate with you who see it, and you may catch and recognize some moment that speaks to you as it does to me."