Val Wade

I was born an imaginative and expressive person, but I learned at an early age to reject my manifestations of creativity. Art did not put food on the table or a roof over our heads. It could also encourage unacceptable thoughts and behaviors; I learned to function but not vibrate with the fires of creative power. Since I am by nature an igniter, the smoldering eventually lit when I picked up paint and brush in a class with a dozen other people after decades of work, work, work. My only plan was to have fun, to let my innate curiosity loose. Somehow, over the years, I’d sloughed off the internal voice of rigidity that required perfection; I could finally embrace my unique artistry. I loved the abstract creation I made. I rediscovered my connection to sublime inspiration and continue, even now, to walk in that world.

My art practice includes drawing, painting, rusted metal imprints, layered digital art, videography, animation, song lyrics, haiku, soldered metal sculpture, pottery, ink making, photography, knitting, bread baking, fabric printing, ephemeral art, framing with reclaimed materials, and whatever else may come my way. A project begins with a sense of invitation. There’s a feeling of rightness, then excitement, as if I’m at the start of a hiking trail that turns a corner or goes over a hill enticing me beyond. The end unfolds, until I am released.

Art offers a window into the transitory nature of life. By slowing my pace and being receptive, I become a channel through which creative forces manifest into the world. I am unique only in the compilation of all that I am and have experienced. My particularity is the spice that flavors the art that comes into existence through me.