Meet Peggy Van Valkenburgh, CASA Cards for a Cause Artist

We asked friends, families, and supporters of CASA to generously submit any original artwork they thought would make a great greeting card. We were graciously overwhelmed by the amount of support we received from everyone: 70 artists submitted over 100 pieces to the fundraiser. Meet Peggy Van Valkenburgh: one of the 19 artists whose piece was chosen to help benefit victimized children in New Hampshire.
Peggy Van Valkenburgh is not only a local New Hampshire artist, she is a retired teacher, an educational consultant, and a bee-keeper as well. She spends a lot of her time outdoors and says the vast majority of her ideas are generated there. Though she mainly works with pastels, she occasionally photographs beautiful scenes in nature that she witnesses on hikes. When we told Peggy that her piece was chosen, she was very excited to take part in the effort: “I have never submitted to a competition like this before, so I am thrilled!!” In an effort to learn more, we asked Peggy a few questions about her and her passions:
CASA: Tell us about yourself! What is your background?
PEGGY: I am a retired public school teacher who always did art on the side. My main “occupation” now is creating pastel paintings.

CASA: How long have you been creating art? How were you introduced to this craft?
PEGGY: I have painted with pastels for many years, but have become a single-minded pastel artist and a daily painter since my retirement two years ago. 
CASA: Do you have a process you typically use to generate new ideas?
PEGGY: I am inspired by nature, so going on a hike and photographing things I feel are beautiful is my process.

CASA: What are three words you would use to describe your artistic style?
PEGGY: Colorful, loose, open to experimenting.
CASA: Do you have any influencers in the art industry that you particularly enjoy?
PEGGY: Terry Ludwig (maker of great pastels)
CASA: Do you have a website or a business that you would like to share with the readers?
PEGGY: On Instagram and Etsy as @pastelsbypeggy. Or you can email me!
CASA: What is your affiliation with CASA?
PEGGY: As a teacher, I was very aware of the good work CASA does.  Good friends of mine volunteer for CASA. I have attended fund-raising events for CASA as well.

Thank you to Peggy and every other artist who submitted to the CASA Cards for a Cause Fundraiser. This fundraiser is yet another way ordinary people can make extraordinary efforts in combating child abuse and neglect in New Hampshire. There are so many way to help, so thank all of you who have done so.

If you’d like to purchase Peggy’s greeting card or view the rest of the cards we sell from other local artists, click here to browse.

All Cards printed by Allegra of Bedford.