Val Nelson, painter, biography

Born in Port Alberni, British Columbia, Val was a dancer with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet until her mid-twenties. Upon graduating from Emily Carr College in 1988, she made dance videos for twelve years and began painting. Now living in Vancouver, she has received a number of awards, including BC Arts Council and Vancouver Foundation grants, and she was shortlisted in 2003 for the Royal Bank Canadian Painting Competition. Her award-winning videos have been screened across North America and Europe, and she was recently included in Carte Blanche Vol. 2: Painting, a book on the current state of painting in Canada.

“The highlight of the show…loose, intelligent brushwork…” — Christopher Brayshaw, the Georgia Straight

“…intellectually and artistically daring work” — Gilbert Bouchard, Edmonton Journal

“…she crafts the kind of post-photographic painting that does its best to make an eye dulled by electronic media vibrate anew. I am happy to say she is largely successful.” — Terence Dick, Akimbo