Valerie Zeman

“My art pieces are evocative, engaging, and thought-provoking as one looks closely into the means of their creation and even more broadly into their meaning - whether through textiles, encaustic layering, printmaking, or painting - my art gives dimension to feelings in the same way a poet draws us in through the complexities of language. Memories surface through my art. It’s where I find my “voice,” which was far too absent in my younger life and could be why text is sometimes overlain in my work.

For example, a piece of ‘canvas’ becomes the working space for the conscious emergence of a planned thought, idea, or emotion through the application of inks, paints, graphite, wax, and other media, In working with cloth, hand-stitching, while adding layers and textures, brings a sense of meditation to the work, and machine stitching corrals an overarching cohesiveness.

In terms of creative influences, my deep connection to the natural world — about which I am passionate — is my muse and comprises my primary color palette. These influences and expressions form the basis for my art through which I explore life's questions and relationships.”

Valerie Zeman’s complex and extraordinary artwork is a result of a lifelong learning quest to combine her innate sense of design and artist’s sensitivity with unique craft, and her works project an undeniable depth and aura when viewed firsthand. Valerie’s art is very sought after, and is part of many private as well as public collections—including Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. To broaden her considerable craft, Valerie continues to attend workshops as student as well as teacher, publicly shows her work often, and is active within the artist community.