exalted like a cedar in Lebanon

Valerie was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. After receiving a bachelor's degree in English Literature from Millersville University, she traveled throughout the United States and eventually settled in Massachusetts.

Her work is informed by a variety of life experiences and a love of literature. Using intensely personal, sometimes humorous imagery, she explores universal themes and archetypes inspired by feminist women artists of the 1970’s, children’s art, and sacred art from pre-history through the middle ages. Her mixed-media pieces use collage elements, ink, and pencil, as well as oil, acrylic or water-based paints; forms and images can be narrative or abstract. Pieces are made in series, often in a particular time period and several series are often created concurrently. Valerie is also a published author, fiction writer, and poet, and presently in the MFA in Visual Arts program at Lesley University.