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Valerie loves to study ephemera and look for enticing forms. She keeps a journal with images that she encounters in explorations outside and on her computer! She sketches her interpretation of these life forms and applies her creative visions – almost human like – using an acrylic blend on canvas. The result is an inspired burst of color and character.
Sally became intrigued by the graphic nature of Valerie’s file on seeds and pods and their conversion to the abstract of Valerie’s imagination. |
Sally’s body of work is caught in realism. She is an illustrator of plants – a botanical artist. This field of study requires observation and study of the scientific qualities of plants. Sally recreates what she finds in nature and composes it in an accurate, but appealing way. Colors are matched, measurements are taken, plant parts are drawn, and a watercolor evolves.
The pieces selected for this show have been painted over several years, as each painting takes hours and hours to complete. |
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About Valerie Sobel
Valerie Sobel was born in Brittany, France. She grew up in a small town close to the ocean and her mother, an avid gardener, planted the seeds of her love for nature. Starting in her teens, her many visits to Germany helped develop her environmental consciousness, at a time when West Germans were hard at work to save their beloved forest, threatened by acid rains. After obtaining a degree in history, Valerie took a gap year and traveled to East Coast of the US. Back in Europe, she continued her peregrinations and discovered that her true passion was art. She studied art fundamentals in Switzerland and in New Jersey. After she moved to California, she took up the ancient craft of felting. This very tactile and physically involving medium was a turning point in her artistic development. It confirmed that the best approach for her to learn and grow was to be organic, through continuous experimentation with various media, techniques, processes, subjects and styles. In 2012, she joined the collective of 4th Street Fine Art. She had previously exhibited her work in various other venues, but the working gallery has been much more than a storefront to show and sell her art to the public. It is where most of her experimentation and creation takes place with the support of a community of fellow artists and friends. Although Valerie’s work has notably evolved through the years, it has kept in focus two essential elements: The natural world remains an endless source of inspiration. As well, color plays an fundamental part in her work. She vividly remembers the first time she set eyes on the early paintings of Kandinsky and those of the Blue Ritter at a major exhibit in Münich, and how exhilarated she felt. That feeling of elation is what she, above all, wishes to share through her art. |
About Sally Petru
A profession in landscape architecture set the stage for Sally to pursue botanical art. With experience in watercolor and a strong background in horticulture, this art form came comfortably to Sally. After seven years of independent classes she pursued a Botanical Art Certificate from Filoli in Woodside, graduating in 2010. She continues to study with select masters each year. Sally also enjoys loosening up with work in pastels. Her artwork has been exhibited in several juried group shows. These include Filoli’s Annual Botanical Art Exhibit, Exotica: Plant Portraits from Around the World in the Hearst Gallery at St. Mary’s College, The Art of Saving Oaks in Sausalito, and The Beauty of Botanicals with the ASBA in St Louis. In 2013 she was accepted into the Filoli Florilegium, a collection of paintings of specimens from the estate. Sally is the founding President of the Northern California Society of Botanical Artists and continues to serve on the board, focusing on the coordination of exhibitions. She now serves as President of the American Society of Botanical Artists, an international non-profit. In 2011 Sally began to teach. She has been a guest lecturer at Merritt College, teaches at Strybing Arboretum in San Francisco, and holds private classes and workshops. Her work may be seen at 4th Street Fine Art in Berkeley. In addition to commissions, Sally sells originals, limited edition giclées and note cards. |