About the Artist

is a contemporary artist whose work is shaped by a life of healing, transformation, and deep reverence for the natural world. Raised amid the landscapes of upstate New York near Saratoga Springs, she developed an early connection to both art and nature—forces that would later become central to her creative practice.

Though her aptitude in mathematics and science led to a long and distinguished career in medicine, art remained a constant presence throughout her life. When illness and injury brought her medical career to an unexpected close, Valerie confronted a profound period of change. Rather than retreat, she forged a new path—returning to art not as a pastime, but as a disciplined and purposeful vocation.

She trained at the Milan Art Institute, where she undertook intensive study in drawing, mixed media, acrylics, and oils. This rigorous foundation informs a dynamic and layered process that reflects both complexity and resilience. Valerie begins each work with expressive underpaintings—using inks, acrylic washes, soluble graphite, spray paint, stencils, and markers—before refining the surface through successive layers of transparent and opaque acrylics. The paintings are completed with luminous oils, creating depth, movement, and a sense of life asserting itself.

Her work moves fluidly between abstraction and realism, capturing not only the visual character of her subjects but their emotional and symbolic presence. Viewers have described her paintings as a contemporary version of Monet, infused with vitality, strength, and modern sensibility.

Working from her second-story studio overlooking a dense canopy of trees and a Monarch butterfly waystation, Valerie draws daily inspiration from the ecosystems that surround her. Her paintings celebrate nature’s endurance and beauty, while reflecting a deep commitment to conservation and stewardship.

Through her art, she invites viewers to reconnect with the natural world—not as a retreat from reality, but as a source of resilience, renewal, and responsibility.

Valerie is currently developing a children’s book focused on Monarch butterflies and their endangered milkweed habitat, extending her artistic mission to future generations.