Valerie Simms is an Oxfordshire based figurative artist.

She came to study art as a mature student at North Oxfordshire School of Art and Design where she did an Access to Art and Design Course part-time for two years. 

The course allowed her to investigate all forms of art and design and find her own pathway to higher education.

She then went on to do a H.N.D Design Illustration course at Swindon College School of Art which she graduated from in 1997.

Her love of portraiture has since led her to produce a portfolio  of work in a realistic style with an illustrative feel, each piece creating a mood either through expression or colour.