Valerie Raynard, "Harbour"

Valerie Raynard is a Vancouver-born artist whose work is inspired by humanity "dramatic relationship with nature " a relationship both ecstatic and destructive which lies at the heart of our existence. Her fascination with the natural environment emerges in all her forms of self-expression.

Primarily self-taught, Valerie's artistic career has taken shape under the mentorship and teaching of local painter Ross Penhall. With a B.A. in Economics from the University of British Columbia and an MSc. in Development Studies from the London School of Economics, Valerie`s search to understand the world has led her back to her own creativity. Through the creative process she feels she can glean something of what can be understood about life.

In this series of paintings, Valerie Raynard portrays a quieter moment in the life of the coastal industry of B.C., when the work of resource extraction and transportation has ended for the day, and the sun is setting. It is a calm, glowing moment when the machines are quiet, the water is glassy, and the lights of ships and terminals have been illuminated.
In the stillness of this moment, the visual interplay of engineered geometric structures with the living, ever-changing rhythms of the sea, the mountains and the sky creates a unique language of shapes and colours. The artist aims to capture the form of this ephemeral language through painting, so that something can be gleaned of its meaning.