About Valerie Briggs
For the last 40 years Valerie has dedicated herself to recording the flora and fauna of the British countryside in the demanding and challenging medium of watercolour. Valerie loves working in graphite in which she finds complete relaxation and the perfect tonal exercises for her watercolours. Pastels are another favourite medium and she uses them regularly when sketching from life. Valerie is a completely self taught artist.
Living in the city of Worcester she is surrounded by the beautiful Worcestershire countryside and its wild, and not so wild, inhabitants, which are her main inspiration. She is especially drawn to the natural and man-made waterways, which provide green corridors for a wildlife population under the constant threat of urbanisation. Throughout the year they provide much of the background material for her paintings.
Details of birds and animals are taken from dead specimens usually found on the roadside, she then spends time in the field and rescue centre’s to study her subjects in the flesh. Valerie feels that just watching animals and birds after all the detailed study is the most important and rewarding element to her work.
Valerie has been influenced from very early age by the watercolour work of Archibald Thorburn, the drawings of Aubrey Beardsley and the paintings of the Pre Raphaelites, especially the drawings of Burne-Jones. Although her work has a very illustrative style she strives to create space and luminosity in her finished pieces.
Valerie’s work can be found at home and abroad in books, on greetings cards, fabric and china. She exhibits in galleries around England and is regularly invited to Nature in Art in Gloucestershire as an artist in residence. Besides running her own classes in her home town of Worcester Valerie is in demand around the country as a teacher and demonstrator. Please contact the artist direct to book.
Cats feature greatly in Valerie’s everyday life and she has great pleasure in painting her feline friends. All her cats are rescued and she has been a foster carer for the Cats Protection for over 30 years.
Since joining The Wildlife Art Society International in 1994 she has become very involved in the running of the society as a council member and membership secretary. This is a totally voluntary position as the society is non profit making and it’s ethos is to promote wildlife art and conservation.
Over the last 30 plus years Valerie has been a keen supporter of the Vale Wildlife Hospital and Rehabilitation Centre. Valerie donates an original piece of work every year to raise funds for them and she also raises funds by selling her artwork on their behalf and donating 50% of the sale price to the organisation.
