Valerie Craig has had more than twenty years in the field to date. Craig has studied with accomplished artists, including Scott Christensen, Michael Doyle and Kenn Backhaus. Like most artists, Craig continues to be a student of art, always reaching for a higher level of excellence.

In 1998, Craig left her career in nursing administration to pursue her passion for painting and her love of the outdoors. She feels that her best expressions happen when she is on location and can directly sense the mood and atmosphere of a particular scene. Whether painting vast open areas or intimate spaces, she finds that capturing light and color is best accomplished through close observation and careful study.

Valerie paints en plein air whenever she can, then often completes larger canvasses in the studio. Craig has traveled frequently to Ireland and also within the United States, teaching workshops and seeking inspiration and opportunities to paint in the field. She values her teaching and administrative experiences as having increased her perspective as an educator and artist.

Honors include the Artists’ Choice Award in the 2010 Easton Plein Air Festival, First Place in the 2009 Wayne Plein Air Festival, Runner Up to Best in Show in the 2009 American Women Artists Show, and Best in Show in the 2008 Wayne Plein Air Festival.

Valerie lives in St. Davids, Pennsylvania with her husband Peter.

In the artist’s own words:

“I am seldom happier than when I am out in a field, capturing the sunlight and atmosphere on canvas, listening to the sounds of nature and letting my thoughts run free. My aim is to carefully observe my subject, whether it be a still-life or landscape, appreciate the response I feel and somehow convey the essence of a place or time of day with paint. If I can evoke an emotional response in the viewer, I have been successful.”