The group – bought by the vendor at Henley Royal Regatta between 2001-14 – were offered at Burstow & Hewett (15% buyer’s premium) of Battle on May 24 and sold for a bumper £19,600 total.
The most expensive was a 2ft x 19in (61 x 48cm) oil on board from c.2001 titled the Café by the River. It took £6600 against a £1000-2000 estimate.
Mark Ellin, picture specialist at B&H, described Valentine-Daines as a celebrity artist in a similar mould to the popular Scottish painter Jack Vettriano.
Her impressionistic leisure scenes, in the tradition of Edouard Manet and Berthe Morisot, can be found in the collections of the former prime minister Sir John Major and members of the British royal family, while she has painted portraits of British celebrities such as Joanna Lumley and Michael Parkinson.
Prices on the secondary market have increased over the last few years, but a premium is paid for her earlier work.
According to Art Sales Index, the artist’s record stands at £10,250, paid at Bonhams Knightsbridge last year for Paddling on a summer’s day, although her retail value peaks at over £50,000.
