Valerie has been committed to her creative self since 1987 when she purchased an etching press and began to explore the ancient art of etching with acids and on copper and zinc plates. She has pursued her art full time, professionally since then. For 15 years the main body of her work consisted of multi-plate, color etching in combination with woodblock, embossment and chine colle.


Etching is the oldest form of original printmaking and each handmade print pulled from the metal plates is considered an original (the process of etching is explained on the back of the sheet)

During those years Valerie also enjoyed creating large monotypes and mixed media pieces. Monotypes are created by using metal lithography plates, which is like metal sandpaper-there is a tooth on the plate. She paints onto the litho plate numerous times and presses the plate onto the paper, then completes the image with pastel, prisma color pencil, ink, collage, or acrylic. The monotypes create a balance between the precise, unforgiving nature of etchings- and the spontaneous, fun that is enjoyed with the monotype, mixed media pieces.

Since about 2001 Valerie has been creating beautiful paper embossments. These are made by using woodcarving tools and carving into linoleum to create the image, then soaking the paper to make it soft so that the paper is pressed into the carved out parts of the linoleum, it forms an embossment of the image onto the paper.

Sometimes she uses the carved out image for a block print. Block prints are made by just turning the block print and placing it on top of the paper- it will not emboss that way it will print it flat as a block print.

Valerie’s newest works combine all the printmaking forms into a collage. She uses her etching images, the block prints or embossments, monotypes, handmade paper- and any other kind of paper she has to combine all these different kinds of paper into a collage of different papers and textures.

Valerie has always enjoyed her prose and verse on her images. For some images the words come first, and the words inspire the image.

Most recently, Valerie picked up a paintbrush after many years and began to cover a canvas with oil paint. These new images are more contemporary.

Valerie’s images are her inner spiritual language translated into pictures that can be understood on a universal level- they are the language of her heart. Her images hang in collections around the world. The peaceful, loving images also hang in places of healing such as hospitals, counselors’ offices, massage therapists’ studios, retreats and Montessori schools. Valerie’s art speaks of connectedness, to each other and to a source greater than ourselves. It is her hope that her art will express the love that we are meant to be.