Artist Spotlight: Valerie Paul
Artist Spotlight: Valerie Paul
Valerie finds subjects to paint at every turn in Maine, but she is especially drawn to the coast. “My happy place is on the water,” she says.
Monday, August 24, 2026
At Sea Bags, we approach product design from many angles. Some artwork is created in-house, while other designs come to life through collaborations with artists whose work inspires us. Maine artist Valerie Paul is one of those longtime creative partners. Her artwork first appeared on recycled sail cloth in 2019 with the Whale design, beginning a collaboration that has since brought her distinctive style to favorites including the Multicolored Lobster, Seal, Dragonfly, Cure Dragonfly, Blue Crab, and Pink Lobster designs.
Art has always been part of Valerie Paul’s family story. A self-described “third-generation painter,” she grew up watching her mother and grandmother create. During Valerie’s childhood in California, her mother often set up an easel in the family room and brought her paints on camping trips to the mountains and beaches. Her grandmother transformed a small garage into a studio, where Valerie loved stopping in to see what she was working on. Today, Valerie is fortunate to own several paintings created by both women.
Although she studied merchandising and design in college—with plenty of art classes sprinkled in—painting has been a constant for as long as she can remember. “I’m in the moment when I’m painting,” she says, “and the rest of the world falls away.” Valerie’s family also nurtured her creativity through frequent visits to museums and galleries. One of her earliest trips to the de Young Museum in San Francisco was for a 1973 Andrew Wyeth exhibition, and she still has the exhibition book. In a fitting turn, Valerie moved across the country to Maine in the mid-1980s—the place so closely connected to Wyeth’s work and the landscape that would shape her own.
Inspired by Maine’s Coast
Inspired by Maine’s Coast
Valerie finds subjects to paint at every turn in Maine, but she is especially drawn to the coast. “My happy place is on the water,” she says. “I’m forever curious about what is living and happening below the surface and along Maine’s beautiful coastline.” That curiosity naturally finds its way into her designs, many of which celebrate Maine’s marine life and coastal culture. Her creative process begins long before she picks up a brush. Valerie often spends time considering a subject, its colors, and its composition before the design begins to take shape.
From Watercolor to Reclaimed Sailcloth
From Watercolor to Reclaimed Sailcloth
Licensing her artwork to Sea Bags has given Valerie a new way to share it. “I get to see people enjoying my designs all over the place,” she says. “It’s different from selling a painting to someone and having them hang it in their house, which I also appreciate.” Seeing her watercolors translated onto reclaimed sailcloth allows Valerie’s work to travel far beyond the walls of a home. She carries one of her designs, too: a large tote featuring her multicolored Blue Lobster artwork that travels everywhere with her and is always a conversation starter. Her current favorite Sea Bags design is the Pink Lobster, created to support cancer awareness, prevention, and access to care. Knowing the design helped Sea Bags raise funds for the Maine Cancer Foundation makes it especially meaningful. “That makes me feel good,” she says.
Valerie is now finishing another coastal-inspired design, although this one has nothing to do with sea life. She isn’t revealing the subject just yet, so we’ll have to keep guessing. Inside her Sea Bag, Valerie carries the tools of an artist and grandmother: a phone for capturing reference photos and pictures of her grandchildren, a black Sharpie, a pencil, Marin lip treatment, a scrunchie, sunglasses, reading glasses, and plenty of sunscreen.
Explore Valerie Paul’s artwork on reclaimed sailcloth and carry a piece of the Maine coast wherever your next adventure takes you. And, sign up for our email updates featuring new releases and special updates.
Photos courtesy Valerie Paul.
