By Shya Beth
Valarie Wolf’s equine art evokes feelings of nostalgia and time gone by, encapsulating the impact of horses on humankind. Valarie’s work has evolved from literal depiction of horses to focusing on conveying the emotion and essence of the equine theme she intimately understands.
“I would categorize my painting style as traditional and realistic,” Valarie said. “I did try a more loose style, but it didn’t really click for me, at least not at the time. When I choose a subject to paint, I make sure that it evokes some kind of emotion within myself because to me, a painting is made up of so many things, both the physical artwork and conjuring up feelings for myself as well as the viewer. A while back, I did a series of black-and-white paintings, which I do hope brings an air of nostalgia to the viewer, as that was my intention.”
Practicing Classic Lines
Growing up in Hollywood, California, Valarie has fond memories of her grandmother taking her to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. “I remember going from room to room in the museum and stopping in my tracks when I saw a painting by Sir Edwin Landseer of horses eating. It was a rather large painting, and I couldn’t take my eyes off it,” Valarie said. “It had a very strong, profound effect on me and I’ll never forget that moment. Books by artist and novelist C.W. Anderson made me instantly fall in love with his beautiful horse drawings, as did ‘Classic Lines’ by Richard Stone Reeves that my grandmother gifted me when I was 14. I would stay awake until the wee hours of the morning doing copies of his fabulous paintings. This experience was simple yet so unique and wonderful. It was just me painting my heart out, listening to the radio until I couldn’t keep my eyes open any longer. It definitely cemented my love and passion for painting and obsession with horse art.”
While Valarie may have been obsessed with horses and art from a young age, becoming an artist was not something she was encouraged to pursue. Regardless, Valarie pursued an art degree at the California State University Northridge in the 1980s. At that time, traditional or representational art was frowned upon in school, with abstract art being in fashion.
For Valarie, that trend tarnished her university experience as far as concentrating on her work and learning more about the style of art that she was in love with. After graduating with her art degree, several years later, a random encounter at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles catapulted Valarie into a lifelong journey of studying all facets of art. “This chance meeting widened my horizons and exposed me to many different artists and techniques that I had never heard of before. I’m speaking of meeting Richard Houston, a professor at the ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, California, who was giving a lecture at the Getty Museum.”
After the lecture, Valarie shyly approached Richard and asked if he taught art classes. Luckily for Valarie, he said he did at his studio downtown, where she quickly enrolled and has been studying with him ever since. “His wealth of knowledge, skill and talent is unsurpassed. Unlike other instructors at workshops I’ve taken, Richard is so generous with his knowledge and does not hold anything back. He has the best interests of his students at heart. I’ve learned so much about drawing, painting, sketching and materials. I owe him so much for really expanding my horizons in the art world, and I’ve become a much better artist thanks to Richard.”
Piece by Piece
Valarie spends a lot of time and attention on the minute details of each painting. Once the subject is decided upon and the initial drawing completed and transferred to the panel or canvas, Valarie usually starts with an ear, a nose or a hoof and focuses on completing that section before moving on to the next area of the horse. This goes in direct opposition to what many traditional painters have learned and execute, which is to do all the darkest darks first and then go to the next lighter value over the whole painting, then the next, then the next, etc. For her, going piece by piece means she can make sure each little area is as accurate as humanly possible. To her, filling in the whole animal with paint at one time leaves a lot of room for error.
“I do use a ton of colors in each painting and this stems from the fact that when I see a beautiful color for sale, sometimes I cannot resist the urge to purchase it! I find that by mixing certain colors together like cadmium orange with magenta yields the most beautiful, rich, reddish browns you’ve ever seen and works perfectly for the brown hues of a horse’s coat. It’s a common practice to paint in layers, which I do, to ensure that you’re getting as much depth and luminosity as you possibly can. On some occasions, rather than start with full color, I’ll do what’s called a Grisaille, meaning a method of painting in monochrome, often just using black or black-and-white or raw umber. This will give me a blueprint of the subject and allow me to work out the more complicated areas before I commit to the color.”
Currently, Valarie lives and paints in Irvine, California, with her two elegant Italian Greyhounds. “I feel so lucky to have art in my life,” Valarie said. “I tend to paint on the small side, but as I say this, there is a large 3’x4’ canvas leaning against the wall just screaming to be utilized! So a goal for me is to indeed paint larger. Being an artist isn’t a job, but a lifestyle. Becoming a proficient artist is a lifetime endeavor and I will always strive to become better and better, so when I look at a painting I have completed, it brings a feeling of satisfaction.”
For more information visit valariewolf.com
