Valerie Palmer was born in Toronto in 1950. She completed her BFA Honours at the University of Manitoba in 1973. Leaving both Toronto and Winnipeg after her studies, Valerie headed north to the far shore of Lake Superior. Recognizing a profound love of the wilderness fostered by summers in her youth, she created a home and embraced the inspiration that has informed her paintings for the past 25 years. Valerie is a strong figurative painter but she is also a committed landscape painter. What is unique in the artist's work is the singular relationship of the figure to the land. The order and quiet drama of her compositions establishes a narrative connecting the viewer to their own world and to the artist’s.

Palmer paints directly from local models and by taking her large canvases outside, works directly from nature. A clarity of realization, a completely personal interpretation and excellent craftsmanship characterize all her paintings. In the year 2000, Palmer's work was brought to the attention of the public with a catalogue and exhibition schedule that travelled to four public galleries in Ontario. She is represented in special private collections, corporate collections and public galleries.