While each of my works inevitably contains a sense of the personal, I believe that it is also important that they contain a social consciousness. I strive to create images that will provoke action, thought, and a sense of commmonality. I often employ images of the very young and very old as symbols of vulnerability, innocence and struggle.

I believe that it is the artist's job to move the viewer beyond mere aesthetics, to probe beneath the surface of an action, comment, belief, relationship, to expose a piece of its essence, no matter how disturbing or unsettling that it may be.

--Valerie Patterson 2006

"I think Patterson's work is very important and extremely poignant for the times we live in and for future generations. Her body of work not only chronicles her life, but the world that we all live in. Her gift for teaching is truly mastered through her innate ability to exacerbate the coldness of the world around her while illustrating the beauty of the soul. It is not very often you come across someone who has work that can both make and document history!" -- Tim Serviss - Artist