Jayetta Valentine:
New Plymouth
Jayetta describes her style as stylised realism. She paints New Zealand’s lush flora, fauna and landscape features using a variety of texturing products including acrylics, inks and black sand.
She describes herself as a “ disappointing “ art student early in my life and was kicked out of her high school art classes( twice) … then promptly failed art at Teachers College, which was a ‘nearly impossible’ feat. After that, she taught English reasonably happily for twenty years. But she was always ‘arty’ at heart and continued fabric painting, drawing and doodling.
Luck definitely played a part in her transition from teaching to painting. She hadn’t even thought about approaching galleries, but luckily, a friend who owned one approached her. Her ‘debut’ paintings sold out quickly, giving her the confidence to ditch her day job and paint full time. Several big solo exhibitions in New Plymouth sold out over the next few years.