Artist's Statement / Bio
Artist Statement/Bio
Valerie Patterson
Statement of Purpose
Each of my paintings creates a place, a location that I implore you to emotionally enter. These are representational, narrative works that tell tales, ask questions, inspire thought and evoke responses. Place is introduced as character, site, memory or state of mind, an experience, a person, an event, an entrance or position, a time or history, a region where ghosts reside.
My work possesses cinematic qualities and echoes of works by Rockwell and Vermeer in terms of storytelling and style but with whimsy and the domestic replaced by more contemporary weighty themes.
Images have tremendous power to make people comfortable or uncomfortable, cheerful or sorrowful, settled or unsettled. As an empath, highly attuned to the emotions around me, I choose to use my voice to encourage people to observe, understand, ponder, imagine and have conversations through shared interpretations and views of divergent subjects. In this age of social media, AI and political polarization, I recognize a serious longing for opportunities to relate to and hear one another face to face.
Process begins on an intuitive level. Ideas emerge from books, music, social media, photographs conversations, politics, or movies and typically produce fully formed images in my mind. I photograph what I require to work from, then rough out a loose pencil drawing on 300lb, hot press watercolor paper. Painting always begins with the goal of creating a flawless illusion. I began my art career as an oil painter, and continue to employ the techniques of layering, glazing and blending in a similar manner with watercolor.
Biography
Valerie Patterson creates psychologically profound, narrative, watercolor paintings which incorporate and explore a deep understanding of the human condition and stimulate introspection and dialogue. Patterson’s work is acclaimed for its technical prowess, insight, intense emotion and fearlessness.
Valerie received a BFA (concentration in painting) and MAT from SUNY Potsdam. In addition to her 40+ yr. art career, Patterson taught art in the New York State Public school system
for 34 years.
Patterson’s work has been exhibited extensively throughout the United States in both group and solo exhibitions, including at The Bond St. Gallery in Brooklyn, NY; The Torpedo Factory Art Center in Alexandria, VA and The Arts & Literature Laboratory in New Haven CT; The Crary Art Center, Warren, PA; The Annmarie Sculpture Garden & Arts Center, Solomons, MD; Santa Cruz Art League, Santa Cruz, CA and Monkdogz Urban Art Gallery, NYC
Awards include 1st Prize in The Dayton Ohio International Museum of Peace International Juried Peace Arts Exhibition; Juror’s Award of Excellence for the Annmarie Sculpture Garden and Arts Center National Juried Exhibition: “Ebb & Flow: The Power of Water”; several Awards of Excellence and a Featured Artist Award from Manhattan Arts International; the Nelda Howell Memorial Award from the Hudson Valley Art Association’s 72ndAnnual National Juried Art Exhibition (Hastings-On-Hudson, NY).
Curriculum Vitae
Education
BFA Fine Arts/Painting, State University of NY at Potsdam, Potsdam, NY 1985
MAT Teaching, Elementary Education, State University of NY, at Potsdam, Potsdam, NY 1990
Selected Exhibitions
26th Annual Juried Show, Adirondack Artists Guild, Saranac Lake, NY 2024
Annual Fall Juried Exhibition, Dulles State Building, Watertown, NY,
North Country Arts Council, Watertown, NY 2023 & 2024
Portrayed: d’Arts: Third Annual Juried Exhibition of Portraiture, d”Art Center, Norfolk, VA 2023
Solo Exhibition, Crary Art Center, Warren, PA 2023
Mid-Atlantic Regional Watercolor Exhibition, Baltimore Watercolor Society, Baltimore, MD 2021
Made In NY, Schweinfurth Art Center, Auburn, NY 2021
National Juried Scenes from A Book: The Mind’s Eye, Exh., Lake Placid
Center for the Arts, Lake Placid, NY 2021
Open National Juried Exhibition, Lake Placid Center for the Arts, Lake Placid, NY 2020
She: An Expression of Womanhood, Annmarie Sculpture Garden & Arts Center, Solomons, MD 2020
Summer National Juried Exhibition, Blue Mountain Gallery, NYC 2020
Ebb & Flow: The Power of Water, Annmarie Sculpture Garden & Arts Center, Solomons, MD 2019
Ephemeral Visions: Watercolor & Mixed Media Invitational Exh., Alfa Art Gallery, New Brunswick, NJ 2019
Ghosts in Saranac Lake, Solo Exhibition, Historic Saranac Lake, Saranac Lake, NY 2019
New Beginnings, Online International Juired Exh., Manhattan Arts Int., NYC 2018
Spoken & Unspoken, National Juried Exh., Santa Cruz Art League, Santa Cruz, CA 2018
International Juried Exhibition, Frederic Remington Art Museum, Ogdensburg, NY 2018
The Healing Power of Art, International Juried Exh., Manhattan Arts Int., NYC 2017
Recent Works, Solo Exh., Adirondack Artists Guild Gallery, Saranac Lake, NY 2017
The Gun Show, Invitational Group Exh., The Spring Street Gallery, Saratoga Springs, NY 2016
Passing Through, Solo Exhibition, Adirondack Artists Guild Gallery, Saranac Lake, NY 2015
Hot Topics – Bold Expressions, International Juried Online Exh., Manhattan Arts Int., NYC 2015
The Healing Power of Art, International Juried Online Exh., Manhattan Arts International, NYC 2015
Closer to Home, Solo Exhibition, Adirondack Artists Guild Gallery, Saranac Lake, NY 2014
Adirondack Regional Juried Exhibition, Lake Placid Center for the Arts, Lake Placid, NY 2014
Solo Exhibition, Pouring Light Gallery, Malone, NY 2014
Stories Untold: 3 Artists Invitational Exhibition, Lower Adirondack Region Arts Council, Glens Falls, NY 2013
Solo Exhibition, The Local Fringe Gallery, Saranac Lake, NY 2013
Stone Canoe Publication Exhibition, Juried Publication & Exhibition, XL Gallery, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY 2011
The New Americana Invitational Exhibition, The Bond Street Gallery, Brooklyn, NY 2010
For & About Women, International Juried Exh., Fredericksburg Center For Creative Arts, Fredericksburg, VA 2010
Protest Art, National Invitational Exhibition, Vanderbilt Divinity School, Nashville, TN 2010
The Art of Fright, National Juried Exh., Hollingsworth Gallery, Palm Coast, FL 2009
In the Flesh 2, International Juried Exh., Torpedo Factory Art Center, Alexandria, VA 2009
Fresh: Urban Contemporary Art, International Juried Exh., Torpedo Factory Art Center, Alexandria, VA 2009
Art Cries Out, Art for Peace International Juried Exh., Dayton, International 2009
Peace Museum, Dayton, OH
Triennial Award Winners Show, Invitational Small Group Exh., State University of NY at Potsdam, Potsdam, NY 2008
The Art of Democracy, National Juried Exh., Booksmart Gallery, Rochester, NY 2008
Damez: 6 International Female Artists, Invitational Exh., Monkdogz Urban
Art Gallery, NYC 2007
Works in on & of Paper, National Juried Exh., The Foundry Arts Centre, St. Charles, MO 2007
Loud, National Juried Art Exh., Arts & Literature Laboratory, New Haven, CT 2007
Inaugural International Exhibition, Invitational Small Group Exh., Monkdogz
Urban Art Gallery, NYC 2006
Real People, 2 Annual National Juried Exhibitions, The Figurative League, Woodstock, IL 2005
In America Now, National Juried Exh., Don O’Melveny Gallery, West Hollywood, CA 2004
National Juried Exhibition, Plano Art Association, Plano, TX 2004
Awards
People’s Choice Award & Honorable Mention, 26th Annual Juried Exh.,
Adirondack Artists Guild, Saranac Lake, NY 2024
Best Watercolor Painting, Annual Fall Juried Art Exhibition North Country Arts Council, Watertown,NY 2023
National Watercolor Society Award, Mid-Atlantic Regional Watercolor Exhibition,
Baltimore Watercolor Society, Baltimore, MD 2021
Honorable Mention Award, Lake Placid Center for the Arts (NY): Scenes From A Book, National Juried Exhibition 2021
3rd Place Award, Lake Placid Center for the Arts (NY): Open Juried National Exhibition 2020
Juror’s Award of Excellence, Annmarie Sculpture Garden & Arts Center, Solomons, MD 2019
Featured Artist Award, “New Beginnings”, Manhattan Arts International, NYC 2018
Award of Excellence & Award of Merit, “Hot Topics”, Manhattan Arts
International, NYC 2015
2nd Place Award, “The Healing Power of Art”, Manhattan Arts International, NYC 2015
Honorable Mention Award, Adirondack Juried Exhibition, Lake Placid Center for the Arts, Lake Placid, NY 2014
Award of Distinction, American International Juried Art Salon, Plano, TX 2010
1st Prize Award, Art for Peace International Juried Exh., Dayton International Peace Museum, Dayton, OH 2009
2nd Place Award, Best of NY Artists & Artisans, Virginia 2006
Artist Winner, The American Juried Art Salon, online, TX 2005
Artist Showcase Award, “the Healing Power of Art”, Manhattan Arts, Int., NYC 2004
Best of Show Award, 8th Annual National Juried Exh., Canajoharie, Library And Art Gallery, Canajoharie, NY 2003
Nelda Howell Memorial Award, 72nd Annual National Juried Exh., Hudson Valley Art Assoc., Hastings-On-Hudson, NY 2003
First Place Artist Profile Award, “Herstory”, Manhattan Arts Int., NYC 2002
Award of Merit, 2002 National Juried Exh., Plano Art Assoc., Plano, TX 2002
Artist Winner, International Cover Contest, Encyclopedia of Living Arts, 12t Edition, Nevada City, CA 2001
Don Selchow Memorial Award, 24th Annual National Juried Exh., North East Watercolor Society, Kent, CT 2000
Artist Showcase Award, “Herstory”, Manhattan Arts Int., NYC 2000
Martin Scully Award for Excellence, 23rd National Juried Exh., North East
Watercolor Society, Kent, CT 1999
Artist Showcase Award, 7th Annual Cover Art Competition, Manhattan Arts Int. NYC 1998
Award for Best Watercolor Painting, 6th Annual Regional Juried Art Show, Cooperstown Art Association, Cooperstown, NY 1997
Articles & Publications
Carpazine Issue #38 (Underground, Graffiti, Punk Art), Featured Artist, Autumn, NYC 2023
Art To Start The Conversation, by Valerie
Patterson, ABCarlson Publications 2023
Not Normal: Art in the Age of Trump, Karen Gutfreund – Curator 2020
The Guide Artists, World Wide Artists & Collectors Magazine, Issue #34, March 2020
Into the Void, Magazine of Award-Winning Literature & Art, Toronto, Canada, Issue #16 2020
Sanctuary-Magazine.com, online magazine for women, Featured Artist – May 2020
Voyage Dallas, online magazine inspiring Dallas, Thought Provokers Artist Feature, 4/2018 and again in 5/2020
Adirondack Experience Museum, online "Creativity in Quarantine”, Featured Artist 2020
Inside Artists, Magazine of Contemporary Artists & Exhibitions, UK, Issue 9 2017
Catapult Magazine, 0212.v6, Catapult & The Artillerist 2012
INPA 1, Annual International Painting Anthology, Manifest Gallery,Cincinnati, OH 2011
Stone Canoe, Annual Anthology of Arts & Literature, Syracuse University, (Syracuse, NY) 2011
The Encyclopedia of Living Artists, 15th Edition, Nevada, CA 2007
Best of NY Artists & Artisans, 2nd Place Award, Virginia 2006
Chronogram, Arts & Culture Magazine, Cover Painting, New Paltz, NY 2002
Encyclopedia of Living Artists, 12th Edition, Nevada, CA 2001