Valerie Jahraus is an emerging artist based in Parkville, Missouri. As a youth Valerie spent many Saturdays taking art classes at the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art. Her parents were avid art collectors and taught her a great deal about composition through observation of other artist's works. Some of those works included paintings by her great uncle Charles Copeland who was a well known illustrator for men's "adventure magazines". Valerie went on to receive a BA in management from Park University and worked for the family business for a time. However, she could not shake the feeling that doing something artistic would bring her a richer life experience. With the support of her husband, Valerie went back to school for a degree in art. Shortly after graduation she did a bit of freelance commercial work as well as fine art projects for private collections.
Valerie's interests focus on painting the figure and landscape. It is her hope that the viewer feels an emotional connection to her work.
"Trying to put myself in other people's shoes is fascinating to me. We are so unique yet so tied to one another as humans. I strive to capture that in my work."