Valmai Janssan’s family says one of the first things people notice about the 90-year-old is that her hands never stop moving.
The prolific artist is set to have her abstract acrylic painting ‘Conchita’ printed and plastered all over metropolitan Adelaide after winning ACH Group’s SALA competition.
Her work was chosen from hundreds of entries to be the hero image for ACH Group’s upcoming SALA exhibitions.
Val laughed that she produces so much art, across so many different mediums, that the winning piece doesn’t have a particular story of its own.
“I make tapestries, placemats, acrylics, birthday cards, cross stitch – just about anything you can make with your hands, I’ve had a go at,” she laughed.
“I even painted the wheelie bins on our street a few years back!”
Val said she wasn’t a TV person, so whenever she was at home, her hands were working.
“I just get lost in art. I’m just the kind of person that has to be doing something or making something at all times,” she said.
“I’ve been coming to the ACH Group art classes for a little more than 12 months now and I just love it here because they encourage you to try different things. I’ve even found a few new things myself.”
ACH Group Art Lead of 10 years, Ann Whitby, said she loved having Val in her Art in Focus class because every week, she shows up with something new.
“You can instantly tell the hour and a bit we spend here each week is only a tiny fraction of the time Val spends working on projects,” she said.
“Her winning artwork shows a bold use of complementary colors and is immediately striking to the viewer, I can see why it was chosen as the winner.”
ACH Group’s SALA exhibitions will be held at Campbelltown Library and Woodcroft Neighbourhood Centre and Library from 1 to 31 August.
Featured photo: Val with her family