A ballet dancer in her early years, Val graduated with Honours in Media Arts at Emily Carr College of Art and Design. She is the recipient of a number of grants and awards, including a Canada Council Art Bank purchase award, and shortlist for the Royal Bank Painting Competition. She has been a professional painter for 23 years, represented by top Canadian galleries, and has attended several residencies including Vermont Studio Centre and Georgian College. Val has enthusiastic collectors in Canada, the US, and abroad.      

Since 2009, Val has been honoured as a guest instructor at the Shadbolt Arts Centre, Gordon Smith Gallery, and Vancouver Island School of Art, and has led a painting retreat in Tuscany, Italy. She paints and teaches from her private art studio in Vancouver, Canada.