Valerie Craig has drawn and painted nearly all her life. Her oil and watercolor paintings are suffused with soft light and convey a sensitive approach. Craig's subject matter is well-rounded and includes still-life, landscapes and street scenes.
Valerie Craig has had more than twenty years in the field to date. Her in-depth study has been enhanced by workshops with noted artists (Robert Wade, Michael Doyle, Scott Christensen). 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, painting quickly and capturing the essence of a subject or the mood of a time and place. She finds that capturing true color, light and atmosphere of a subject is best done through direct observation and truly understanding a familiar place.
Craig paints en plein air whenever she can, then often completes larger canvasses in the studio. Her paintings reflect her connection to the local Pennsylvania countryside as well as the rural farms and beaches in southern New Jersey. Craig has traveled frequently to Ireland and also within the United States, seeking inspiration and opportunities to paint in the field.
Craig's work can be found in numerous private and corporate collections. Her paintings have frequently been chosen for greeting cards, a book cover, and most recently included in the movie Marley and Me. She teaches en plein air locally as well as in Europe. She awarded Best in Show in the 2008 Wayne Art Center Plein Air Festival and is represented by Artists' House Gallery, Philadelphia, Newman Saunders Gallery, Wayne, PA, Peter McPhee Fine Arts, Stone Harbor, NJ, and Art Access Gallery, Columbus, OH.
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."
United States Coast Guard, Portsmouth, VA
United Bank of Virginia, Norfolk, VA
Pennsylvania Trust Company, Radnor, PA
Art Access Gallery Landscape Show-2008
Peter McPhee Fine Arts Gallery- 2007, 2008
Artists House Gallery- 2006, 2007, 2008
Tyme Gallery - 2005
Rosemont School of the Holy Child - 2005
Episcopal Academy, Merion, PA - 2001
Forster's Framing, Wayne, PA - 1999, 2003
The William Ris Gallery, Stone Harbor, NJ - 1998, 2001
Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church - 1996
Carolina's Restaurant, Radnor, PA - 1995
The Gallery, Congregation Beth Orr, Springhouse, PA - 1993
Slice of Heaven Restaurant, Philadelphia, PA - 1992
Carol Schwartz Gallery, Philadelphia, PA - 1991
Side Porch Gallery, Fairfax, VA - 1990
All Paintings Great and Small, Cooley Gallery, Old Lyme, Ct 2008
Landscapes for Landsakes, Greenwich, NY, 2008
Wayne Art Center Plein Air Festival 2007-2008
Easton, MD Plein Air Festival 2007
Living with Art, Main Line Art Center - 2007
Anapolis Plein Air Festival - 2006
Immaculata University - 2005-2007
Notre Dame Academy - 2004-2007
Daylesford Abbey, PA - 2000-2005, 2007
Perkins Art Center, NJ - 1998
Wayne Art Center, PA - 1996-97, 1999-2007
American College Annual Art Show, PA - 1994
Ocean City Arts Center Invitational, NJ - 1993
Philadelphia Art Show - 1992, 1994-95
Pennsylvania Water Color Club Annual - 1992
Main Line Arts Center, PA - 1992, 1999, 2001
Stone Harbor Annual Art Show, NJ - 1990-91
Manayunk Arts Festival, PA - 1990-91, 1993
Doylestown Art League Juried Show - 1989-93
Harvey Cedars Art Show, NJ - 1989
Seawall Arts Festival, Portsmouth, VA - 1988
Ghent Arts Festival, Norfolk, VA - 1986-89
Occasion for the Arts, Williamsburg, VA - 1987
Neuman & Saunders Award, Wayne Art Center Juried Members Show- 2008
Best in Show, Wayne Art Center- 2008
Honorable Mention, Wayne Art Center Plein Air Festival - 2008
Distinguished Artist, American Cancer Society, Philadelphia Chapter- 2008
Second Place, Wayne Art Center Plein Air Festival- 2007
Wayne Art Center Award, Expressions of Radnor, Wayne Art Center - 2007
Honorable Mention- Delaware Art League - 2006
Great Frame-Up Award- Wayne Art Center - 2006
Honorable Mention- Delaware Art League - 2006
Petersen's Kitchen's Award, Main Line Art Center - 2004
Alternative Gift Market Cards, Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church - 1997, 1999-2004
Holiday Cards Poster Artist, Main Line YMCA - 1998
Distinguished Artist, American Cancer Society, Philadelphia Division's 1995
Honorable Mention, Wayne Arts Center Fall Member's Juried Show - 1994
Selected for Linda Creed Breast Cancer Foundation's Promotional Campaign - 1993
Second Place, Ocean City Regional Show - 1993
Honorable Mention: Side Porch Gallery, Fairfax, VA - 1991
Third Place Watercolor: Stone Harbor Annual Art Show - 1990
First Place Mixed Media: Chestnut Hill Art Show - 1990
Anna W. Clark Award for Excellence in Watercolor: Chestnut Hill Art Show - 1989,
1990
Best in Show - Watercolor: Avalon Art Show - 1989
Honorable Mention: South Jersey Fine Arts - 1989
Forster's Framing, Wayne, PA
Village Art Gallery, Wayne, PA
Art Access Gallery, Columbus, Ohio
Artists House Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
Essex Fine Art Gallery, Montclair, NJ
Newman Saunders Gallery, Wayne PA
Peter McPhee Fine Arts, Stone Harbor, NJ
Kenny Gallery, Galway, Ireland
Bachelor of Science, Georgetown University
Master of Science, Catholic University