Val
Sewell - portrait of a happy Canadian artistVal
Sewell - portrait of a happy Canadian artist
An upbeat, happy visual comment on today’s pursuits of work and pleasure, coupled with her award winning style, gives Val Sewell a dynamic and exciting presence in the contemporary art world.
Her mastery of colour and line, and bright spontaneity suggests much more than it actually defines.
Optimism and ‘joie de vivre’ shine through her subjects – the world and people around her – compelling the viewer to share this joy. As was once said of Val, “Finally we have a Canadian artist whose work is happy, who looks as if she is enjoying life.”
Her style has been described as “interpretive and impressionistic – a reminder of Paris.” Her work has also been likened to that of Mark Chagall and Raoul Duffy whose “apparent casualness and whimsical approach to line belied an absolute mastery of craft.” Val, however, paints with a distinctive boldness and simplicity that defies labelling, making her an individualist who, unlike most other artists, discovered her own style early in her career.
Fortunately for her fans, she has proven to be a very prolific artist, who is able to meet the high demand for her work that her style has produced.
The recipient of many awards for paintings she has been featured in many one woman exhibitions throughout Canada, starting with her first near sellout show when over one hundred paintings sold. She has been featured in several publications including Artists of British Columbia and L’Aquarelle au Quebec, as well as several magazine including Vancouver Magazine, City Scene, and Vancouver Sun and Province newspapers.
Val was born in London, England but grew up in New Zealand. In 1970 she, her husband, and their four children moved to Canada. Val now lives with her husband Peter in their home at Kitsilano Beach. Val has three grand children who all live in the lower mainland.
Although painting enthusiastically as child, Val nevertheless became an elementary teacher in New Zealand, and later a special needs teacher in Canada. She returned to her first love, art, in 1978 becoming a full time professional painter. She immediately gained recognition for her distinctive and original work, having been featured twice on KVOS TV and in several international art scene magazines. Her work has appeared in a variety of unusual places, including the permanent collection on board the ice breaker Terry Fox, and in the captains quarters of a Mexican shrimp boat. Along with Jack Shadbolt, AJ Casson, Jo Plaskett, and Leslie Poole, Val’s work was displayed in the designer show house in Vancouver. Her work has been used as a visual aid in the teaching of Zen at the University of British Columbia because of her portrayal of “inner brightness and joy without judgment”, and she illustrated a subsequent book on Zen.
Several other works have been used to illustrate magazines, book covers, and TV articles. Val has paintings in numerous major overseas and American collections and galleries, and is represented by many Canadian outlets.
Her recent work in ceramic ware has been extremely popular and complements her subjects in acrylics and watercolour paintings.
A keen gardener, Val's completion of her herbology studies at Wild Rose College increased her enthusiasm for making herbal ointments and preparations and enhanced her love of painting in her established garden.
The Vancouver Sun
"Rainy Day Painting
Evokes Summer Sun"
Many well known charities have benefited from Vals work; in a recent live auction for the Vancouver Art Gallery, Val’s work drew one of the highest prices for a Canadian artist. In response to this success, the Vancouver Art Gallery contracted to exhibit and auction Val's work at the next two annual Gala events. Charitable benefits include:
Val welcomes visitors
to her gallery studio in Kitsilano Vancouver.
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