All work : Sherree Valentine-Daines [Biography]

Sherree Valentine-Daines

Over the course of her impressive career Sherree has become one of the UK's most collectable contemporary artists; with a discerning international following of art lovers, she enjoys an unrivalled reputation in the international arena. Her impressionistic approach lends a unique charm to each stunning, figurative composition, her subtle hand blending each detail into a creation of captivating elegance.

Sherree was born in Effingham in Surrey. After completing her early education she undertook a fine art course at the Epsom School of Art. As soon as she graduated she set about persuading local institutions to exhibit her work and her success was immediate. She soon came to the notice of the art world and won a number of accolades including the Young Artist of the Year Award from the Royal Society.

Sherree's formidable talent has made her a favourite with many celebrity collectors, notably several members of the British Royal Family. She has enjoyed a range of prestigious commissions including one from the MCC to paint the Ashes series at each of the test grounds. Many famous names in the world of show-business have sat for her including Joanna Lumley, John Sessions and Michael Parkinson. She was also commissioned to paint portraits of Jonny Wilkinson and Martin Johnson for a pair of commemorative Limited Editions (signed by both artist and player) celebrating England's World Cup Victory, followed by another portrait of Jonny, both of which were bought by the man himself.
She has also released two beautiful, highly-illustrated hardback books, First Impressions and Your Days, My Days as well as working on a TV series with Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen. She appeared on ITV on Fern Britton’s final ‘This Morning’, presenting the superstar broadcaster with a portrait commissioned by her colleagues and has been dubbed ‘artist to the stars’ by the national press.
Sherree prefers to use oil on canvas as she finds this to be the purest and “most painterly” medium available to her. She has exhibited at the Tate Gallery, the Barbican, the Royal Society of British Artists, the Royal Institute of Oil Painters, the Laing Landscape Exhibition, the Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolours, the Royal Watercolour Society, the Hesketh Hubbard Art Society, the New English Art Club, the National Society of Painters, the United Society of Painters and the Pastel Society. Sherree’s work is also in the Lord’s Museum and is held in many private collections all over the world.
When Pam Bates, Director of the leading contemporary cultural magazine ‘Art of England’ wrote the foreword to Sherree’s latest book she summed up much of what makes this extraordinary individual one of the most loved and admired in the country:
“When I was invited to write something about Sherree I knew it was going to be a difficult job. As someone who writes art criticism on a regular basis I like to think my words are objective and realistic, but for some reason, when I write about Sherree I have to resist an overwhelming impulse to gush.
“I would describe Sherree as the finest figurative artist we have here in the UK and have enjoyed and admired her work consistently for many years. Her gift for observation and her technical and compositional skill have gained her a formidable reputation in the art world and made her one of our most collectable artists. She has won over the hearts and minds of the general public, becoming the artist of choice for celebrity portraits and TV events, and alongside her original artwork, sales of her canvas editions have placed her in the top 5living best selling artists.
“Sherree is a warm and inspirational individual, and her sunlit artwork reflects the things she loves and believes in. We all have moments in our lives that are special, and we may try to preserve them in our minds or be lucky enough to have a camera to hand to record them. But Sherree’s unique gift is to capture those moments in the detail of a feather on a hat or a shadow on a lawn and breathe life into the memories.
“I would like to congratulate Sherree on this beautiful and long-overdue retrospective, and look forward to her next collection with great anticipation.”