Valerie Arber Discusses Intuitive Practice, Marfa Community, and Evolution from Glass to Abstract Painting

Marfa-based artist Valerie Arber, in an interview with Amanda Holstien, reflects on her intuitive, nonverbal approach to artmaking, resisting overintellectualization. She never completed graduate school, learning instead through hands-on experimentation. Her practice has evolved from commercial glasswork in the 1980s—including sandblasted designs and kiln-formed pieces—to abstract painting and printmaking on paper, which she finds more satisfying. Arber’s work often begins with black-and-white gestures, utilizing stamps, monoprints, and collage from her extensive material archives. A recurring motif emerged from painting her mother’s pearl necklace, leading to a long series of circular forms that she later abandoned as too literal. She has exhibited widely, including shows like “Spell” at Hebel 121 in Basel, Switzerland (2005) and “Echo” at Marfa Book Company (2009). Arber values Marfa’s supportive artistic community but avoids direct influence from local figures like Donald Judd. She maintains an archival approach to materials, influenced by her husband, a professional printer. Currently, she revisits older mark-making experiments, seeking to push them further without falling into representation.