Val was born in Brooklyn raised on Long Island. My undergraduate work was at both SUNY Purchase and Alfred University and my graduate work at Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers. I was studio assistant to Nancy Spero and Leon Golub from 1984 – 1991 in NYC where I also had a very active career showing in the downtown galleries. After moving to Frenchtown, NJ I raised my family and ran a graphic design & t-shirt printing company called Civilian Art. I teach Color Theory, Drawing, BookArts and Printmaking as an Adjunct Professor of Art. As a full-time artist living and working in Hunterdon County, I am working with a team to create a sustainable Artist Studio Tour (TheHunterdonArtTour.com) to engage a larger cultural community. Occasionally, I can be found playing music somewhere.