Name of
Artist
Valerie Kent
Website: www.valeriekent.com
Facebook Page
valeriekentworkshops
Blog: www.valeriekent.com
Contact (phone and e
mail)
Valerie Kent is an experienced artist and teacher who paints en plein air and in the studio. She studied in Montreal at Ecole des Beaux Arts and Concordia University, in Toronto at York University, University of Toronto, Ryerson University and Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, in Nova Scotia at St. Francis Xavier University and at the University of Iowa.
Valerie paints in watercolours, acrylics, oils and mixed media. She enjoys diverse subject matter, experimenting with mixed and multi-media and incorporating found environmentally friendly materials.
Where were you
born?
I was born in Tokai, Hungary which is wine growing country and is famous for the Tokai wines.
If you could have an
art related vacation anywhere in the world where would you go and why?
I have been to
the south of France several times leading artist workshops, and it is definitely my
favourite place so far. It is famed for
its beautiful light and its
extraordinary land forms, such as the Verdun Gorge and the beautiful rivers, the
quaint stone villages in the Luberon Mountains such as
Le Baux, and the many
little markets with their colourful and fresh produce. It is an artist’s
paradise: there is something for
everyone, stunning landscapes, people
watching and painting, and still life galore.
What’s your favourite
thing to create and why?
I very much enjoy
painting while under a shady tree, outdoors by a rushing river or a waterfall. I love the sounds of it and like painting the
moving waters.
How did you get your
start in the world of art?
I started selling
paintings at age 5 because my cousin had a beauty salon where I would hang out
and paint little ballerinas. The clients
were nice and to humour me they would
buy my artwork for a penny. It was quite
an incentive because 5
pennies got me an ice cream cone.
Do you have go-to
paints/colors that you love to use in your art work?
There are a few
newer colours that I have added to my palette which I did not use, or mixed
my own versions. I love perylene green
which is a dark green, almost black and
red oxide which I have used as an underpainting for my acrylics and
oils.
Who has been your
biggest inspiration as an artist?
My father painted dream scenes of his childhood and
my mother loved to design clothing. They
were always encouraging me to do
drawings and to paint. My father used to tell me stories about his father who
painted the scenes in churches. He was
known for that.
What have been some of
your crowning achievements?
Some of the
really fun things that I loved to paint have been painting during the moose era in
Toronto when I did two of the moose, Wolfgang Amadeus Moosart and The
King (the Elvis moose). I have been in
huge art shows in Korea and
Japan and I liked that. Now I am
painting a piano in art deco style for
the Five Senses Festival at the Richmond Hill Centre for Performing Arts in
Richmond Hill for August 16 and 17. I also truly love to
teach art courses and workshops and love travelling
to teach them here,
around Ontario and around the world.
If you could have three
wishes as an artist, what would they be?
I am very
satisfied with my life as a practicing artist.
No matter how busy I get, what
sadness comes and what joys follow, having my art to go to is what I
wish for everyone. It is not really all
about selling the work, but having
the power to create which is a wonderful feeling. I wish that I would
always continue to appreciate the process and have
friends and students to paint with.
What is the best advice
that you have received as an artist?
I think the best advice is never to judge your painting until it is finished. Give each work a chance
and if it does not come out right start a new one. John G. Roberts,
once a head of the Famous
Artists School in New York and Amsterdam, told me, if you get one out of ten that works, that is really great. This way you can experiment, be free to make mistakes, or use materials or see things in new ways and not worry about having to create a masterpiece every time you do a
new
work.
What colour best
describes your personality?
I think red is my accent colour. When I get excited about an artwork and love doing it I feel red or I am teaching a class and
everyone is working on their art
so well, I feel
red. At my best when I am very outgoing
and happy I am very red.
Thank you Valerie
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