Valerie is a life-long Montanan widely traveled throughout North America and, most recently, to Ireland and Scotland. She’s generally found in the outdoors: nature, travels, culture. Her upbringing nurtured the imagination inspiring her art. Exploring and discovering her tribal heritage over the past decade, its influence has always been revealed within her basketry and paintings.
She creates original hand-woven baskets and acrylic on canvas paintings. From the paintings, other products include prints, greeting cards and coffee cups; still other pieces include etched, hand-painted gourds and antlered gourd rattles. As a self-taught artist, Valerie completed the Montana Art Council’s Art Entrepreneurial Certification. The curriculum challenged abilities providing mentoring opportunities, a Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art internship and participation with the “Tour of Excellence” – Jackson Hole, WY.
Valerie, an enrolled Little Shell Tribal member, earned a prestigious First People Fund “Artist in Leadership” Fellowship and attended a Business Leadership & Cultural Exchange in Santa Fe, NM. She also was awarded a Montana Indian Equity Fund Entrepreneur Fellowship leading to showings with “Made in Montana “Exhibitions.
“Autumn Sunrise” and “Burgundy Arrow”, handwoven baskets were juried into the Dana Gallery’s “Icons of the West” Exhibition while “Third Season”, an acrylic on canvas, was juried and auctioned at the 18th Annual Paris Gibson Square Fundraising Event. Other baskets and paintings have been juried with The Holter Museum Store. Veis’ artwork will be displayed during a gathering of an international trade delegation at the Lodge Pole Gallery & Tipi Village. The Radius Gallery will jury other submissions for participation in their annual exhibition titled “Scapes|Land-Sea-Mind”.
In addition, Valerie’s collections are displayed at the Dancing Buffalo Gallery, the Crown of the Continent Discovery Center, Ghost Art Gallery and C.M. Russell Museum Store. During Western Art Week, she exhibits at the “Great West Living & Design Show” and has participated with the “J. Contway & Friends” Exhibition. Veis’ work has been featured at the Missoula Winery and Gallery 16.
When not engaged with artwork, Valerie stays busy with family and friends while remaining active as a Certified Yoga Instructor.
She is who she is, does what she does – artwork colors her world: “Weaving Art into Your Heart . . .”