Tinam Valk was born in Berlin, Germany.  She spent her childhood and early adulthood in the Netherlands where she received her art education at the Royal Academy of Visual Arts in The Hague.

After coming to the United States in 1976, Tinam earned a post-baccalaureate degree in visual communications at the Maryland College of Art and Design.  She worked as a free-lance illustrator and part-time art educator in suburban Washington, D.C. until 1996.  Since then she has concentrated exclusively on fine art.

Tinam has traveled extensively, including to such locales as East Africa, South America, Eastern and Western Europe.  She retreats annually to Hunting Island, SC, which serves as a constant source of inspiration for her art.