This catalog was published on the occasion of the exhibition Discovery in Reflection by Valerie Eickmeier, presented at Courtyard by Marriott, Ft. Lauderdale Downtown.
Valerie Eickmeier: Discovery in Reflection
The exhibit is a visual meditation on the elusive beauty of water and the natural world. Rooted in the artist’s deep connection to place, these paintings capture the fluid interplay of light, movement, and reflection observed in Sarasota’s Marie Selby Gardens. What begins as a photograph taken during a quiet walk becomes, in Eickmeier’s hands, an abstracted memory—filtered through emotion, intuition, and time.
Corporate Art Curator: Daniela Echemendia
Exhibition Graphic Design: Danny Ramos
Front Cover: Valerie Eickmeier, “Wavelets”
Back Cover: Valerie Eickmeierl, “Swept Away”
All images copyright of the artists.
All rights reserved. No part of this catalog may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means without written authorization of the copyright holder and Courtyard by Marriott, Ft. Lauderdale Downtown.
Her process begins with hundreds of digital photographs taken in changing light throughout the day. In the studio, she carefully selects, crops, and edits images to uncover a composition that resonates on a personal level. Then, through expressive brushwork and painterly nuance, she transforms those moments into works that balance abstraction with natural form. The liquid surfaces she paints are metaphors for the ever-changing nature of life itself—fleeting, layered, and reflective. This exhibition invites viewers to pause, observe, and discover their own emotional connection to place through Eickmeier’s quietly powerful vision.
Valerie Eickmeier is a distinguished artist and educator whose career spans more than 40 years. She is Dean and Professor Emerita at the Herron School of Art and Design at Indiana University, where she led the institution from 1998 to 2018 and helped shape generations of artists through teaching, mentorship, and international programs.
Eickmeier holds an MFA from Washington University in St. Louis and a BFA from the Kansas City Art Institute. Though her early practice focused on sculpture, painting became her primary medium for exploring the complexity of natural environments. Her work has been exhibited in over 60 galleries and museums and includes private and corporate commissions. Among her many honors are two National Endowment for the Arts project grants, Creative Renewal Fellowships from the Arts Council of Indianapolis, an Individual Artist Fellowship from the Indiana Arts Commission, and several research grants from Indiana University supported by the Lilly Endowment. Now living and working between Sarasota, Florida, and Carmel, Indiana, Eickmeier continues to create art that reflects a poetic engagement with nature.
Passing Cloud Oil on canvas 60 in x 40 in x 2 in
Morning Light Oil on canvas 48 in x 60 in
Valerie Eickmeier
EXHIBITION CHECKLIST
Wavelets, 2024
Small Paintings Series No. 2, 2025
Bits of Sky, 2024
Morning Light, 2024
Swept Away, 2025
Mirage, 2024
Sun Swept, 2025
Passage Transition, 2025
Garden, 2025
Passing Cloud, 2025
Small Paintings Series No. 1, 2025
Radiate, 2024
