Valerie Ganz

My name is Valerie Ganz and I am an artist. I paint original artwork as well as producing limited edition art prints of my work. Born in Swansea, I was inspired to draw by the dramatic landscapes and a backdrop of industry. I first attended art school at the Swansea College of Art and studied painting, sculpture and stained glass. I remained at the college as a tutor until 1973, when I decided to become a painter full time.

During my years in South Wales, I developed an interest in the region's landscapes and culture, in particular the mining industry. Over a period of many years I worked at 14 different collieries. In 1985, I set up a studio at Six Bells, Abertillery, where I worked at the Six Bells Colliery. It was here that I would use the miners and their families as my subjects and this artwork formed the basis of many exhibitions, notably 'Mining in Art' in 1986 at the Glynn Vivian Gallery with Josef Herman, Jack Crabtree and Nicholas Evans.

A commission from British Coal led me to new and exciting places, including South America, where I painted and worked with the oil industry. I travelled as far as Argentina to paint oil rigs and their workers. My curiosity for other people's lives has taken me to London, where I worked with dancers at the Central School of Ballet and to New Orleans to pursue a love of jazz while also painting the musicians. I've also travelled to France, Italy, India, Namibia, Brazil, Thailand, China and many other places where I have enjoyed painting the landscapes and the people.