Valerie graduated from Limerick College of Art & Design in 1992 with a Diploma in Design Communications. 

Her career went in a different direction however and she has been working for a large multinational company in Cork for over 30 years. 

In 2017, Valerie began reconnecting with art. While she has painted in oils, she primarily works with watercolours and coloured pencils. In 2022, she became a member of the Watercolour Society of Ireland. Valerie gets inspiration for her paintings from photos she has taken in and around her native, Cork City.