About
Valérie Wartelle is an award-winning artist working with fibres and textiles. Brought up in France and French Polynesia, Valérie originally came to the UK to study Textile Design. Following a career as a knitwear designer, she set up her art studio in 2014 in West Yorkshire.
Valérie’s work explores the deeply rooted emotional and sensory connections we hold with nature. By reimagining the landscape using natural fibres – wool, silk, linen – and the ancient craft of wet felting, she invites viewers on an inquisitive journey rich in climate, texture, and light.
Process has always been central to her practice, and through ongoing exploration of materials’ behaviours, Valérie has over the years perfected her unique approach to the craft.
The compositions are built in layers, in which cloth is embedded, thread unravelled, and colour carefully considered as a painter with her brush. Drawing on the nurturing qualities of the wool fibre, these evocative semi-abstract artworks foster a sense of place and personal well-being.
Valérie is an award-winning artist and a William Parker QEST (Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust) scholar.
