Born into a large family in the village of Chernihiv Airport district. Father, an Austrian national Joseph Dalbergia Othmar, gardening.
In 26 years Valerian had adopted the Orthodox religion. He graduated from the notched class of Kyiv drawing school. In 1885 he was enrolled as a student at the Imperial Academy of arts, studied in the classes of plaster heads and figures, full-scale and beautifully-field.
The Council of the Academy Othmar awarded four silver medals. In 1892 he received the title of class artist with the right teaching painting and drawing in secondary schools. V. I. Otmar was a member of the society "Mossanovski Mondays."
From 1891 to 1899, he has created 29 of cartons for the mosaics of the Church of the Resurrection. In the collections of the Russian Museum has preserved his work "the adoration of the Magi" (1897), "Joseph's Dream before the flight to Egypt" (between 1891 and 1898), "Candlemas" (1898) and "Christ in the synagogue" (between 1891 and 1898).
In 1904, Othmar painted Orthodox Cathedral in Warsaw, built by L. N. Benoit in the early 1900's. Under the leadership of V. M. Vasnetsov worked with him V. V. Belyaev, N..Koshelev, N. N. Kharlamov, N. T.Shakhovskoy and others. The temple was destroyed shortly after the first world war.
In 1909 Othmar appealed to the President of the Academy of arts Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna with the application to assist you in obtaining cash benefits for their work of the Savior on spilled blood. However, all calculations for the construction of the temple was finished, and the artist's request was denied.
