Valerie Craig has drawn and painted nearly all of her life.   Known for her impressionist approach to color and light, Craig's subject matter includes urban and rural landscapes as well as intimate still life paintings, and figures within a landscape.  Craig has had more than twenty years in the field to date, painting in both watercolor and oils.  Like most artists, Craig continues to be a student of art, always reaching for a higher level of excellence, while discovering and expressing her own voice.

In 1998, Craig left her career in nursing administration to pursue her passion for painting on a full-time basis.  She feels that her best expressions happen when she is on location and can directly sense the mood and atmosphere of a particular scene.  Whether painting vast open areas or intimate spaces, she finds that capturing light and color is best accomplished through close observation and careful study.

Captivated by the landscape, Craig paints out of doors whenever she can and often completes larger canvases in the studio.  Craig travels extensively, painting in Ireland, France and throughout the United States. She teaches workshops and  seeks inspiration and opportunities to paint in the field. She values her teaching and administrative experiences as having increased her perspective as an educator and artist.

Craig has been invited to be the juror for professional art exhibitions and her work is represented in corporate, private and museum collections across the country.

 Honors include Gold/Mayor's Choice Award Ireland's 2013Art in the Open Festival;  Grand Prize in the American Women Online Juried Competition, Best in Show in the 2011 and 2008 Wayne Plein Air Competition,  Second Place in 2013 Wayne Plein Air,  Second Place in 2011 Plein Air Easton, Artists' Choice Award in  2010 Plein Air Easton , First Place 2009 Wayne Plein Air Festival, and Second Place, 2009 American Women Artists' Show. 

Valerie lives in St. Davids, Pennsylvania with her husband Peter.