Val O’Connor
Textiles Instructor
While her formal career was involved in the business world, Val’s first love has always been in the world of visual arts, having engaged in a variety of artistic endeavors including drawing, painting, leaded glass, gourd carving and design, and most recently tapestry weaving. She was fortunate to be able to complete art courses at a local Midwest college including art history, drawing, design, painting, sculpture, and ceramics, all of which increased her desire to grow creatively and expand my horizons by seeking new art forms to engage in. Early in 2019, she began learning how to weave tapestry and it became an endeavor in pure joy. She is particularly fascinated by the endless possibilities for exploring the interplay of color, texture, and design to create a visual work, only in this case, using natural fibers to produce an image on a woven surface. You might say she has exchanged a gessoed canvas and brushes for the wonderful world of wool and warp. Val looks forward to learning, creating, and sharing this wonderful art form with others.