West Coast painter Valerie Rolfe shares with us her love for animals and her passion for raising awareness for animal welfare through her art.
AIP: How would you describe your style of work and what is your preferred medium to work in?
VR: I work mostly in acrylic, watercolour, and with collage. My acrylics and watercolours are on the realistic side of things, while my collages are whimsical and ridiculous.
AIP: What were you first steps toward selling your art and what type of setting was this in, a gallery, art & crafts show, market, on-line or elsewhere?
VR: My first paintings were of my pets, and of the animals in sanctuaries I support. I painted elephants for The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, chimpanzees for The Jane Goodall Institute, chickens and rhesus macaques for The Fauna Foundation and whales for The Centre for Whale Research.
So my originals were from my heart and I wasn’t prepared to part with any of them for a long time – I knew all their stories and their names. Their situations motivated me to paint their portraits, as most were survivors of some horror at the hands of man.
I felt compelled to share their stories and the best way to do that was with cards – image on the front, text on the reverse. It turns out that others were moved as I was and so began a wonderful relationship with a number of shops. I learned along the way that rats (which I painted for NEAVS) are not, in general, particularly popular! Chickens more so.

You’re Mine by Val Rolfe