A picture of Val painting
My name is Val Stevens. I was born in Penzance, Cornwall in November 1946.
My earlier years were influenced by two people; my father, who always encouraged me to draw and paint, and my art teacher in senior school, Alexander Mackenzie, who always saw the artist in me and who was an enthusiastic tutor, full of encouragement. He later became a well known artist in his own right.
Having nursed for 35 yrs in the NHS I promised myself that on retirement I would take up my brushes and paint. That I did until much later when a friend at my art group introduced me to the palette knife – I haven’t looked back!
A view of Vals studio at Ganderstudio
I’m a self taught artist and my pictures are mostly derived from the Cornish land and seascapes.
Having been born and raised in Cornwall I love to paint the fauna and coastline; it seems to be a natural part of my make up.
PS. And a big thank you to my son Tristan who encouraged me to start painting again.