VALERIE RIPPEY PHOTO ART IMAGERY

My goal as an artist is to dig down deep into life experiences, 
distill them into pure essence and mirror them back containing 
some form of universal truth.

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 I am happiest when you find a bit of your truth in my creations - when something speaks to your soul.

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"The conscious utterance of thought, by speech or action, to any end, is art."

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

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One of my earliest memories is sitting on the porch drawing the trees across the street.  As an adult artist, I migrated to 
pen and ink and watercolor, with displays in galleries and 
works in private collections.

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And then, as many of us do at a certain point in life . . .

I left art behind to become what seemed like the accepted version of a grownup - I married and went to work in a corporation; an exceptionally tough corporate jungle environment.  

 

But, art and my spirit continued to call at me.

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"The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. 
It is the source of all true art and science." 
- Albert Einstein

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I found myself going to remote places as often as time allowed and carrying a camera to bring back treasured nature photos.

 

I started posting the nature photos on my cube walls at work to remind me of the life outside the concrete world where I lived and worked.  

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Friends started asking for photos. Eventually, I started selling photos at art fairs.

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As my photos journeyed outward, I began the journey back to myself. Throughout all of the ups and downs since then, 
I've remembered to keep my compass pointed inward.

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"To create one's own world in any of the arts takes courage." 
- Georgia O'Keeffe

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I left the city jungle behind, simplified my life, divorced and found the courage to risk being true to myself.  I started practicing Tai Chi and eventually began teaching it.  

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"To be nobody-but-yourself - in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else - means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting." 
- e.e. cummings

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I became aware of the creative possibilities in combining 
what I knew about painting with what I had learned about photography.  

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What you see on this site is the result of blending those creative skills and my life experiences.  So, I'm not talking with you about prizes I've won or being included in invitational only shows.  Every artist places their soul on display and that's what I want you to know. 

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"At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person.  Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us." 
- Albert Schweitzer

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Like most artists, I have a day job and that's OK. It gives me the money to travel and share my journey with all of you.  I strive to share my insights and help you find your true self through my creations.

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I am eternally grateful to everyone who has and who will participate in this life journey of mine. 

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 I love and appreciate all of you.