I am drawn to making work that feels familiar at first glance and becomes slightly stranger the longer you look. My practice is rooted in illustration, observation, and curiosity. I am interested in the tension between clarity and discovery—images that can be understood immediately, but that also reward attention over time. A drawing may initially read as a simple bouquet, a landscape, or a portrait, but closer inspection might reveal small interruptions: hidden animals, unexpected details, or subtle shifts in narrative that change how the image is understood.
Animals often appear in my work, sometimes realistically and sometimes in more playful or surreal ways. I am interested in them not only as subjects, but as carriers of expression, humor, and emotional ambiguity. Alongside this, I incorporate natural forms, pattern, and symbolic elements that invite closer looking without demanding a single interpretation.
My process is grounded in traditional media, including ink, acrylic paint, watercolor, colored pencil, and mixed media. I value the physical presence of materials—their texture, unpredictability, and evidence of the hand. I am also expanding into ceramics as a way to explore form, surface, and narrative in three dimensions.
Underlying my practice is a long-standing background in social science and behavioral research. This informs the way I think about perception, attention, and how people interpret information. I am interested in how meaning is constructed visually—how small details can shift understanding, and how viewers move between what they expect to see and what they actually discover.
Ultimately, I aim to create work that balances beauty with curiosity. I want the viewer to feel comfortable at first glance, and then gently surprised when they stay a little longer.
-Valerie