Val Stokes has been drawing since age 4. Self taught, her earlier year were spent in submitting drawings to magazines and entering local art competitions. Achieving success at portraying realistic subjects gave her the motivation to continue onwards with a career in an advertising agency as a commercial artist.
Marriage to another artist and catering to the needs of a son and daughter meant freelance work from a home studio. With family later independent Val seized the opportunity to paint realistic subjects. Her passion for art continued for the next 3 decades , participating successfully in numerous art awards, solo and group exhibitions as well as maintaining a strong profile in dealer galleries in NZ
. She now exhibits mainly at her home Studio and Gallery in Hamilton-New Zealand, enjoying welcoming and meeting many clients and buyers personally. Val is well known for her work reproduced on cards and calendars --in addition to her own popular website www.valstokes.co.nz
She is now a widow and has reached the grand old age of 80 and continues to paint daily and is identified by her rustic subjects, cat studies, flowers, botanicals, gardens and abstracts Her enthusiasm for painting keeps her painting and enjoying life. Recently completed 46 NZ botanical pictures for First Light Flower Essences. This is to follow the 84 which she painted a year or two back More followed .The total is now nearer 450.
' I am happy to say that I am now an artist for Porterfieldsfineartlicensing.com. which has been my greatest bucket wish for the last few years. I am enjoying being there and selling my work and as long as I live I will attempt to paint '.'My son Lyndon Stokes who is an accomplished and well-known artist has recently joined FaA. I am proud to say 'check out his FaA site.' or www.stokeart.co.nz. My grandson now in his early teens shows promise with outstanding results in his art as well..
Val Stokes joined Pixels on May 23rd, 2009.
