Born in Hong Kong, Arale Vallely (Sze Shuen Wong) is a Chinese artist living in London, Ontario where four seasons provide constant inspiration. Vallely’s artwork depicts various flowers and vegetables from her garden or nearby nurseries, and baked goods from her kitchen.

Vallely’s childhood was spent making arts and crafts and playing music at school. Being able to express herself creatively is important to Vallely, and she found that painting became a way of capturing her life’s memories.

Vallely is a self-taught silk artist. She came across silk painting in 2008 when she moved to Doha, Qatar from Hong Kong. She was hooked by the bright bold colors and decided to train herself in the medium. Vallely’s Arabic themed Naina series was popular in Doha among the locals and expats, and in 2012 she was invited to participate in an art symposium event at the College of the North Atlantic – Qatar (CNAQ) where she was the only non-Arab artist among the 10 participants.

Living in Canada has given Vallely new focus for her painting subjects and inspires her through the colours and lights of nature. She enjoys painting almost every type of flower. She loves to control as much as she can with the uncontrollable dye to paint the details of her subject on silk. Sometimes she paints vivid and vibrant patterns a little reminiscent of stained-glass.

Since 2009, Vallely has sought to share her knowledge and passion of silk art. She enjoys maintaining connections with her past students around the world, to help provide guidance and inspiration. She offers one-on-one and group classes to children and adults.

Arale Vallely is keen to promote silk art in London. She has been participating in the London Artists’ Studio Tour since she relocated to London and enjoys sharing her art journey to encourage everyone to try this medium.

Biography Courtesy of Arale Vallely