Community Gallery
2 - 31 October 2021

Valentine is a semi-retired teacher of Art and Music, working from a home and studio in Huntly, overlooking the Waikato River. Early art training was as a child under guidance of his artist grandfather. Later he was tutored by the noted wartime artist Ted Lewis. From there, Valentine specialised in Art and Music at Ardmore teachers' College and completed a Diploma in Visual Arts while in Australia.

As a child musician he had a few piano lessons, sang in choirs, played ukulele and guitar. Participated in brass bands and pop bands as a teenager and became a regular performer in the cafes and folk clubs of the 1960-1970. His professional career started with a residency at Wairakei hotel, and later in Hamilton restaurants. For eight years in Australia, he was performing five nights a week. Back in New Zealand, in 1989 he opened his own restaurant in Taupo, where both Art and Music were featured.  Moving to Napier, he continued to teach, exhibit, and perform. Twenty years ago, Valentine returned to Waikato where he writes stories, music and songs, paints and occasionally performs.  He and Shelley have five adult children and six grandchildren.

This exhibition focuses on the Waikato River with many of the paintings showing two interpretations of one scene. One approach uses impressionist impasto techniques, often applying the paint with cardboard rather than brushes, while the other then re-interprets using cubist geometries and extended planes.

In this exhibition Valentine simply explores and celebrates the 425 kilometres of river that has been a significant environment for him for much of his life.