My life has been defined in the most delightful way by animals. Most of my memories are highlighted by the animals that participated: at a long ago birthday where we fed ponies carrots, our trip to the beach where I saw hermit crabs and fish in tidal ponds. and at grandma’s house the salamanders that lived in the garden just below the tree with raccoons, my first pet, my first cat, first dog, my first horse……and on and on till today.
Nature is endlessly interesting and I am captivated. Tiny Kangaroos climbing into their mother’s pouch and ants making a trail for others to follow….amazing intriguing creatures that demand my creative attention. The chance meeting, our shared space and that living sparkle that inspires me to rush to the studio to try to recreate that feeling, that amazement!
Everyday I am always waiting and watching for my next opportunity to experience a meeting with nature. My eye and camera are always on the watch for movement in the grass or sky. This love of nature and its creatures has been the inspiration throughout my life and artwork. It is not much of a surprise that I paint not only the wildlife of the hills around my studio but also the domestic animals that live in our barnyard.
Painting gives me a chance to share some of their amazing qualities: the beauty and strength of a horse, the complacent stare of a well fed cat, the delicate nature of a duckling and the quiet contemplation of a roaming coyote. While my paintings are often quiet, there is a hint of how nature can come alive and move at any moment.
Image Credits
All Images Are © Valerie Rogers
Valerie Rogers Artist Bio
Valerie Rogers is a naturalist painter. She paints in-depth visual studies of nature and it’s creatures in their own quiet places. She focuses on the natural beauty around her and translates it to paint, paper and canvas. A lifetime spent immersed in nature, studying the plants and animals as closely as possible provides the background information for her paintings. The ongoing exposure to new wilderness experience is the birthplace for many new paintings. Her love for the outdoors is reflected in her artwork. That artwork helps to support the conservation efforts of numerous local and national environmental groups.
International Artist Magazine has recently featured 8 pages of her artwork and her creative process.
Her paintings have received awards in a variety of BC Art shows and competitions. Some of these are; GOABC Artist of the Year 2014, Silver Finalist for BC Wildlife Federation Artist of the Year 2013 and 2014, Silver Finalist for Trout Unlimited Canada 2012, Kamloops FCA People’s Choice 2011, John Edgar Patterson Award 2010, BC Wildlife Federation’s Artist of the Year 2008, Armstrong Award show People’s Choice, and the RMEF People’s Choice Award.
She exhibits regularly in the Okanagan and Shuswap and is an active member of the Federation of Canadian Artists, Artists for Conservation, SAGA and Shuswap District Arts Council. Her paintings are in collections in Canada and the United States.
Blog / Website: valerierogers.com
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