Valerie Orlemann

I’m a realist landscape painter. My work is traditional in the sense that I communicate through recognizable images and try to capture a realistic sense of light, color and place. My paintings are contemporary in the sense that I paint what’s there now. That is, I paint western landscapes, but I don’t try to recreate the old west. I feel that the grandeur and emptiness of the modern western landscape are inspiring on their own terms. I studied art at the University of Utah, completing most of the BFA program before parenthood (and a new job for my husband in Escalante, Utah) redirected my artistic efforts. I wound up far away from art school, but surrounded by beautiful landscapes to paint. With our little girl in tow, my husband and I have explored much of southern Utah and the four corners. Out in the field and back in my studio, I’ve tried to capture what I find most engaging in the landscape around me.