Artist Valentyna Crane is a well known artist based in Canberra, particularly for her love of colour, which exudes from her landscapes that are inspired by Canberra. Valentyna’s works are emotional, colourful, and bold.
“Year of Blooms, National Arboretum Canberra” is Crane’s latest exhibition, currently exhibiting at the Village Center of the National Arboretum Canberra.
Valentyna and I have exhibited together in the past, and with her Solo Exhibition now upon us, I thought it would be a great time to share some insight into her new body of work and her inspiration. So with that in mind, let me introduce you to Valentyna.
I think it’s a gift and a curse at the same time to notice all little things here and there and to store them in your heart and then when you have a chance, to pure them all out onto the canvas.The fantastic bit about my art practice is when people I don’t know personally are buying my work, saying thank you and asking for more. For me that simply means I’m doing the right thing.
I asked Val what inspired her about the National Arboretum Canberra?
If I think of only one word to describe it; it would be “diversity”.Think about it: 100 forests from all over the planet Earth, here in Canberra. What can be more inspirational?
Valentyna felt compelled to capture the essence of the National Arboretum Canberra after a guided walk through the forests of the Arboretum. Her guide was talking with so much passion and love, and knowledge about the place and the trees. Valentyna says “that’s when it’s all started for me. It was like a spell of Forest. I’m still not recovered from it. I can say that I’m under the spell of National Arboretum Canberra.”
“Year of Blooms, National Arboretum Canberra” is a project from the heart. From the first idea to the final detail it took Val 150 days to finish it.
Presenting 15 paintings, Valentyna is taking visitors to the journey through the forests and through the seasons to have a look at blooming trees at the National Arboretum.
You will see trees flowering not only during the springtime, but also in summer, autumn and even winter. There are flowers without petals, tree trunks encircled with round spiky thorns, panicles of bell-shaped flowers in full bloom during the coldest months in Canberra and many more exciting discoveries Val cannot wait to share!
Who: Artist – Valentyna Crane
What: The project – Year of Blooms, National Arboretum Canberra
Where: The Village Center of the National Arboretum Canberra.
When: 15th February till 15th March, Open daily 9am – 4pm
To preview the series of paintings from this project visit https://bluethumb.com.au/val-crane
You can also find more of Valentyna’s colourful works by following her on Instagram.
Each painting has a map for you to find the specific Forest that has inspired Valentyna in this beautiful exhibition, which in itself just may inspire you to explore the walking tracks of the National Arboretum!