The Arts Council is thrilled to continue our Featured Artist Series, shining a spotlight on one of our remarkable local artists.

This installment highlights Valerie Wheater, an acrylic painter whose realistic, story-driven canvases capture the beauty of nature, gardens, and travel with a gentle touch of whimsy.

Valerie was born in Comox, on beautiful Vancouver Island, the daughter of an RCAF Air Traffic Controller and a stay-at-home mother who was always there for her and her siblings. Her family moved often during her childhood, and she spent nine years of her young life overseas, mostly in West Germany. She was raised to greatly appreciate hand-crafted artwork, and creativity was always part of who she was, even before she had the chance to pursue it fully.

After high school, Valerie went to work, eventually landing with a local utility company where she built a 36-year career.

It wasn’t until her late forties that art took centre stage. An artist she met encouraged her to sign up for watercolour lessons, and though she was doubtful at first, she quickly fell in love with the medium and kept at it for 11 years. In 2016, her instructor encouraged her adult students to mount an art show together. Nervously, Valerie invited friends and family to attend.

“It was a tremendous success,” she recalls, “and it gave me the confidence to spread my wings and try other mediums with different instructors.”

Retirement gave her even more time to paint and to volunteer within the art community.

Today, Valerie’s preferred medium is acrylic on canvas or wood. She paints mostly in a realistic style, often adding a touch of whimsy as she works to evoke a story for the viewer. Her passions for nature, gardens, and travel drive her practice, and she paints both en plein air and from her own photographs.

In 2025, Valerie moved from Maple Ridge back to Vancouver Island, settling in Parksville, where she is thoroughly enjoying being a permanent resident of the Island once again.

Valerie Wheater is based in Parksville, BC, and works primarily in acrylic on canvas and wood. Her work can be found online at ValWheaterArt.com, or by following her on Facebook and Instagram

Follow our social media, website, and check the newspaper to discover the next incredible local artist in the Featured Artist Series!