Valerie Collinson

Val's first love was pottery which was a primary course at college in Darlington. She then followed up with an extended course in child rearing and house renovation. She claims equal success in both as the children have shown impressive artistic skills and the house now gives lessons all by itself.

"I first discovered silk painting quite a long time ago, however it took a long time to find a course which suited my artistic needs, my career, and also fitted in with my more prosaic needs to manage a house and family. I followed my initial course at Askham Bryant college with several more but was hooked from the start. I loved the impact of the colours on the silk and the infinitely different effects you could produce using additional materials. I find real satisfaction in planning a work, in the preliminary drawings or sketches, and then the real
thrill in applying the dye to the silk and seeing it actually work. I love painting either a large or small picture, in producing a scarf in silk, or even in trying to find a mood, in silk, to enhance a card. I recently ran a small class in painting scarves which I hugely enjoyed. I am looking forward to my next course in actually painting in silk. My primary muse is probably architecture with the emphasis on the Middle/Far East but I have had great fun with landscapes. If you have any ideas you would like to try give me a call“.