Type A attorney turned artist: Valerie White’s latest passion is painting, but husband Matt White just might show her up. Valerie puts her whole heart into everything she does: law (let’s become a partner), yoga (let’s do teacher training), real estate (let’s make it a business), and art (let’s show it).
Valerie built an impressive immigration practice as a young attorney and partner at Vandeventer Black before joining her husband at Samuel I. White, P.C. where she got the idea for real estate investing. Along the way, she also developed a lifelong passion for yoga.
Valerie and Matthew started painting together soon after she retired from active law practice, and he was winding down from decades of managing the family law firm. Painting was a fun hobby to enjoy together. Couple chill time.
He painted in private. Valerie took her work public.
Valerie approached art with her typical vigor entering art shows and submitting work to charity auctions and community events. After a full bout of COVID isolation, Valerie convinced Matt to show his work. They applied to share a booth at the Chesapeake Spring Arts Festival.
“Matt sold a few pieces, but more importantly,” says Valerie, “he watched hundreds of people experience and enjoy his art.”
The hustler in her convinced him to submit three pieces to the “Abstractly Speaking” show at the Virginia Beach Art Center. All of his pieces were accepted; some of Valerie’s were too … but not all.
“In the past, Matt went to opening receptions to support me and my work, but this time he was there as an artist himself,” Valerie says, “and I am thrilled to cheer him on.”
–Lisa Richmon