STATEMENT
The place we belong are not always the place we are born. Growing up in front of cemetery and losing a loved one made me aware of the impermanence of life at an early age. I therefore seek for places where my mind can find its peace in moments of daydreaming. My work follows the places where I have been living or where I have been on vacation and is deeply tied to my surroundings.
Inspired by nature, my abstract paintings balance gradients of colours fields, diverse lines, shapes and texture to express a sense of joy and serenity. Guided by memories and own photographs, I use acrylics on canvas and wood panels from small to medium sizes.
My aim is to convey a beauty and a visual experience that invites positivity. This is my way to add poetry to life. Through my work, I address the themes of healing and memories of place.
BIOGRAPHY
Born in Brussels, Valerie JA Vandermotten is an emerging and awarded visual artist based in Belgium. Initially trained in Belgian Academies, she moved to California where she pursued art workshops at the Pacific Art League, Palo Alto. In 2017, the artist earned a Post Baccalaureate in painting at UC Berkeley Extension, SF, California where she has been living during 8 years. Since September 2020, Valerie is an MFA candidate in Painting at SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design). She has had a residency at Kunstraum LLC in Brooklyn (NY), 20+ group exhibitions and 3 solo shows in Europe and the USA. Her work is in the SCAD MOA (Museum of Art) permanent collection since August 2023.
EDUCATION
art
2020 - 2025 - MFA candidate in Painting at SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design)
2017 - UC BERKELEY EXTENSION SF CAMPUS (SF, CA), Post-Baccalaureate in Visual Arts - Painting, Printmaking, Art History
2014 - PACIFIC ART LEAGUE SCHOOL (Palto Alto, CA), Adult Continuing Eduation - Painting: Portrait, Figurative, Abstract, Colors
2012 - STANFORD UNIVERSITY (Palo Alto, CA) , Adult Continuing Education - Painting, Expressive Drawing
2011 - ECOLE D'ART D'UCCLE (Brussels, Belgium), Adult Continuing Education - Painting, Drawing, Art History
writing
2009 - UNIVERSITE EUROPEENNE D'ECRITURE (Brussels, Belgium), Certificate in Creative Writing - Novel, Movie Script, Writing for Children
AWARDS
Artist of the month Artjobs September, 2021
Finalist of the Animal Contest, the Art Room Gallery, June 2021
Luxembourg Art Prize Certificate, 2021
COLLECTIONS
Permanent collection of SCAD MOA (Savannah College of Art and Design Museum of Art)
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