After moving to Portland, I decided to work in a number of different media. I’ve spent these last two years exploring etching, reduction color relief prints, painting and drawing. Most of the work below is a part of my U.S. President series, a long term project. I had a solo show of the first works in the President series at North Bank Gallery in Vancouver, WA in August of 2007. The statement for the show is at the bottom of the page.
Valerie Wallace made the Pacific Northwest her home in 2005, after getting an M.F.A. in Printmaking and Drawing from Northern Illinois University. She uses a wide variety of drawing and printmaking techniques to reflect upon American historical and current events in a satirical and sometimes lovingly critical way. After creating several pieces based on Abraham Lincoln, Valerie decided to create a series of pieces commenting on the U.S. Presidents. The idea was borne of her frustration with the current political climate, war and her desire to understand the evolution of the Imperial Presidency.
How have we reached this point in history? Wallace’s art seeks to provoke the viewer by both asking the question and giving a unique perspective. Each piece shows a president caught in a moment of time—through the use of symbols, she creates a metaphor for the individual. The first part of this series features: A life size Abe Lincoln in a wrestling singlet, Andrew Jackson wielding a gun, Truman as a suit salesman, James Polk as a breast feeding soldier, and Nancy and Ron on a leisurely ride through a barren desert. Valerie twists, tortures and admires the iconography and mythology of American culture, including such topics as Puritanism, gender roles, historical memory, and regeneration through violence.
Valerie Wallace lives and works in Portland, Oregon. She teaches Printmaking and Basic Design at Portland State University.
