My paintings of women are like characters from a movie- leading lady Femme Fatales.  Each one has her own story and mysterious nature-somewhere between innocence and naughtiness.  Some of the women appear over and over again, while others make a one time appearance.

I imagine the time period of their lives is somewhere between 1958-1971, heavy on the 1960's.

I love the soothing nature of stripes and the cheerfulness of polka dots, both which are a re-occurring theme in my paintings and drawings. I also love to use collage elements by working with vintage French dictionaries, and I incorporate these vintage dictionary cuttings into much of my work.

I'm inspired by old family photos of my French  mother and her sister, with their cool, stylish hairdos, pointy high heels and striped shirts from the 1960's. I'm also influenced by French New Wave Cinema, Fassbinder, Edward Gorey, and The Surrealists, and old American TV shows from the 1960's and 1970's.

Shop: www.valeriegalloway.etsy.com

(in english only, sorry...)