Born and raised in North Vancouver, Valerie has made Whitehorse her home for more than thirty-five years. She arrived there after completing her degree in physiotherapy at the University of British Columbia, trading in a city lifestyle for a northern adventure that became a permanent way of life. Valerie still lives in the log home she moved into in 1980 and works from her studio, created from an old workshop, on the same property. There, she and her husband, Dan, enjoy an extended family and deep Yukon roots.

The paintings included in Remarkable Yukon Women are part of an art exhibit titled "Yukon Women, 50 Over 50." They were inspired by Valerie's desire to paint portraits from life and to celebrate ordinary Yukoners.