For the Summer we will be showcasing the work of Valerie Hayden from Powell, Ohio. Valerie is the former owner of Art on the Block in Columbus, Ohio and a longtime favorite customer around here!

CLICK HERE TO SEE OUR GUEST ARTIST'S WORK

Valerie writes:

I was born and grew up in Southern California. My parents were both artistic and drew and painted and they encouraged any and all of my artistic pursuits. I even went to art school for a short period after college.
I discovered rubber stamps in 1973, while perusing one of the three daily papers for musical reviews for my job at Columbia Records. It was love at first glimpse. The article mentioned three companies and I immediately sent for those catalogs and thus began a life long love affair. It was heaven when I was first introduced to Rubberstampmadness and discovered so many rubber stamps companies.
In 1985 I moved with my husband and son to Ohio (bringing along my ever growing stamp collection). I met another California transplant and I introduced her to my passion for stamps….what else could we do….we opened a rubber stamp store! Oh I thought I will get to stamp and play all day (ha ha). Yes I got to stamp and I did learn a lot and I met wonderful people for 14 great years.
My store is closed but my collection has grown, and my stamping style has changed, changed and changed again, only to remember a technique and go back to oldie but goodies that are tried and true. I love color, so stippling, sponging, painting and color pencils loom large in my tool box. I know that time spent stamping can take the world’s troubles away and I get lost in the images, the colors, the compositions. I have met wonderful stamping friends and we share techniques, experiment and laugh. I fell in love with stamps in 1973 and the affair continues. I hope you will enjoy my samples…..

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