Who was Valerie Bloomfield-Ambrose?

Glasgow Times:

1 A painter, a sculptor, an actor and a singer, known all over the world (and nearly a Junior Wimbledon star) – but who in her native Glasgow knows the story of Valerie Bloomfield-Ambrose? Born Valerie Wilson in the city in 1934, she lived with her mum and dad Rena and Max and brother David and went to Laurel Bank School for girls. It was here her talent for art was first spotted, and she took extra classes during her lunch breaks to develop her skills.

2 According to her obituary in our sister newspaper The Herald: “During this time she also found a love for sports, earning herself a place at Junior Wimbledon. However, due to the instability of the family business at the time, her father was unable to pay the train fare to London and her dream of playing at the championships ended.”

3 Instead, Valerie attended Glasgow School of Art and competed on the Glasgow tennis circuit, where she met her first husband, Andrew. In 1959, after achieving a qualification from Jordanhill Teacher Training College, Valerie moved with her husband to his native Jamaica, where she taught art.

4 As an artist herself, she represented Jamaica in the International Women’s Year Exhibition and became one of the most popular artists of the period. Her sitters included Michael Manley, fourth Prime Minister of Jamaica, and she also created a striking statue of The University of The West Indies founder Sir Phillip Sherlock.

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5 In the 1970s, Valerie, now married to her second husband John, moved to the US, completed a Masters in fine arts, and performed in off-Broadway theatre La Mama in New York. In 1993, she moved to Florida and continued to paint and sculpt, completing several well-known commissions. She died in 2018.