Valerie Wells

Valerie Wells was born and raised in the UK, moving to Vancouver, Canada, in the '70s, and has recently made Victoria, on Vancouver Island,  her new home.

Her painting career began approximately eight years ago as a result of restrictions on her more mobile pursuits, and luckily, as so often happens, this has turned out to be a blessing in disguise.

Valerie progressed from solely watercolours to acrylics and mixed media approximately five years ago, primarily self-taught, which steered her on a creative journey towards freedom of expression and away from structured and rigid techniques. She enjoys the challenge of combining various textures, media, shapes and colours, leaving as much as possible to the imagination, with an "anything goes" approach.

Valerie is a strong believer in letting art flow from the heart, which often means starting with a blank canvas and no plan! "Shapes and colours spill out, and when you have something that moves you, that's when the process stops. It has to be a gut reaction or it simply won't work." Much of her work is painted using a palette knife, which she feels frees up the process and 'allows' rather than 'dictates'.

Valerie has previously exhibited in Dorset, UK, and various locations on Vancouver Island, and is now delighted to be showing her work in the Victoria area.