Interview of artist Valerie Collymore

Valerie Collymore: from pediatrics to impressionism

By Graciela Matrajt

When I entered the Fountainhead Art Gallery in Queen Anne, Seattle, I became immediately captivated by the beautiful, impressionist-style canvases that were exposed. Walking around, I came across an elegant, cheerful, and good-looking woman. We started talking about work and career transitions when she told me she was the artist, and she used to be a pediatrician 15 years ago. When I asked her how she made that change, she smoothly replied, “You can have it all, but not at the same time.” The next thing I knew was that I had to hear her enticing story.

Valerie’s father died when she was just two years old. Seven years later, her widow mother needed a change of scenery and, using their college savings, set forth on a tour around Europe that lasted five months. Valerie’s mother loved the south of France and found there a friendly community of Americans. She decided to stay in the French Riviera and settled her small family in the city of Nice. 

Valerie remained in France until her late teens. Her mother, a nurse who had converted to an artist, took small jobs to sustain the primary needs of the family. Thus, when Valerie graduated from high school, she knew she had to take charge of her higher education. So she came back to the U.S. where she felt she had more opportunities to obtain scholarships and to follow her career dreams. 

Early on, Valerie knew she wanted to be a physician and, owing to her excellent grades, she was accepted into Harvard, Columbia, Princeton, and Brown. Valerie chose to attend Brown because the university was in a smaller town that reminded her of Nice. After graduating in the early 1980s, she joined the medical school program at Columbia and started her M.D. training. At that time, there were very few female surgeons. Valerie thought of becoming a surgeon to change that ratio but quickly realized that she needed to follow what her real passions were and, instead, became a pediatrician. 

Valerie met her husband, also a physician, at Columbia and together moved to Los Angeles where she did her residency. During her third year of residency, Valerie had her first child. Back then, there were few laws in favor of maternity leave and breastfeeding; thus, balancing work and life became very challenging. But Valerie is pragmatic and believes that if she does not follow her first choice, following the second or the third is equally acceptable. So, to have a more balanced life and be able to spend more time with her baby, she chose to work in the Pediatric Emergency Trauma division, where scheduling was very flexible and therefore compatible with her family’s needs. This way, she could stay home with her child during the day and worked during night shifts, when her husband could take over on the childcare. She continued working in the pediatric emergency room and two years later she had her second child.

After ten years in California, Valerie’s husband was offered a promotion and the entire family moved to Denver. Without realizing it, the family established in a conservative all-white neighborhood that was intolerant to diversity (Valerie’s race is Black). The move was hard on the family, especially on the children, who were still in school. So Valerie took a year off work to stay home and help her daughters transition into their new environment. She engaged in volunteering activities, first for the school, and then for the local community. “It was a new, fantastic, and enriching experience”, explains Valerie. “People started recognizing my work and efforts and slowly, we became a part of the neighborhood.” 

Valerie’s vigorous energy, full involvement, and great enthusiasm took her to the development of many different programs. The two projects that she is most proud of and that are still in place were the mentorship program in her children’s school and the health program at a local homeless women’s shelter. “Mentoring kids at our local school was very rewarding”, admits Valerie. While working with homeless women at the local shelter, she discovered that they did not have access to health care. So Valerie took that as her next endeavor and, using her medical background and connections, she met with different health organizations and created, from scratch, a health care support system for homeless women. Today, to Valerie’s pride, this health care system is well established and running successfully. “All these projects were completely voluntary”, explains Valerie, “but I loved the experience”. Indeed, Valerie kept herself busy working on these programs for seven years and never came back to her medical practice. 

In the early 2000s, Valerie’s family made another move. This time to Seattle. Valerie continued her volunteering activities while raising her two children, who became professional athletes and were part of the USA National Volleyball team. Both of them also became outstanding musicians.

After the kids left for college and the nest became empty, Valerie had a chance to completely rethink her career. She considered coming back to her medical profession, but something inside her was calling to explore the artistic influences from her past. Indeed, Valerie’s mom was herself a second-career artist while in France, so she was not a stranger to art instruction. 

Valerie started exploring art classes in the Seattle area. She attended many workshops taught by top artists, read, and researched for self-instruction. “Life is short, and I have always had a passion for painting, so I immediately jumped in”, explains Valerie with a shiny smile on her face. In 2010, Valerie acquired a studio and started painting. “I am fortunate that my husband has been very supportive during this phase”, she admits. 

It has been four years since she started her artistic career, and Valerie is today as successful as she has been with any of her endeavors. She spends most of her time teaching art as a private instructor in her studio in Bellevue, at the Women’s University Club, or at the Women’s Winslow Art Center on Bainbridge Island. Some of her work is exhibited at the Fountainhead Art Gallery in Queen Anne, Seattle.

Valerie followed her dreams and passions and has had a successful career as a pediatrician, mother, and now, artist. “You need to accept that it is OK to let go of your career and follow your heart. You are not defined by your career. You can adapt and adjust to the circumstances in your life and family, and enjoy living through the new experiences”, Valerie advises. Valerie has always welcomed new opportunities and has enjoyed each phase of her life because she got to live it on her own terms.

When Valerie told me that you can do it all, but not at the same time, she was right. Her professional itinerary is the best proof of that.

Bravo Valerie, et bon courage!

Valerie’s studio in Bellevue: http://valeriecollymore.com/

Valerie’s art at the Fountainhead Gallery in Seattle: 

Fountainhead Gallery