Featured Artist Mary Valente

California painter Mary Valente showcases her distinctive collection, featuring works that blend unique stylistic elements with a signature color palette. See more by visiting her website.

 

 

I grew up with a creative and gifted dad. While it was inspiring, it was even more intimidating. He’d never had a lesson, nor could he read music, yet he could hear a melody once and then sit at the piano and play it.

 

 

One day, when I was about eight, he got the idea that it would be cool to have a mural of his hometown on our den wall. Over a couple of months he completed a large replica of his Italian cliffside village, beautifully rendered in oil. It was the first time he had ever painted.

 

 

Like most kids, I loved making art—but early on, decided I wouldn’t measure up. Rather than risk failing, I chose a safer route. I studied business and entered the corporate world. And I was happy… for a time.

 

 

Fast forward a couple of decades and the yearning to create art resurfaced. I saved my money and took the plunge, leaving the corporate world to attend the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. I knew if I didn’t give art a chance I would regret it forever. And I haven’t looked back.

 

 

With paint I express ideas and emotions in a non-verbal, more universal way. I toggle between oil or acrylic media; in addition I often incorporate pigment sticks, hard pastels, and cold wax. I try to keep my work fresh by experimenting with new subjects and materials. My two most recent series are entitled Body Language and Mendocino Mood.

 

 

Body Language is composed of contemporary figure paintings. When I observe someone from a distance I draw conclusions about their mood and feelings at that moment, i.e., I interpret them. I began to wonder if others would have similar or different conclusions. When visitors come to my studio or art openings I often ask them what their interpretation of a piece is. The result? It’s rarely the same as mine!

 

 

Mendocino Mood is a series I began following time spent in this Northern California coastal town. For a week, we were nestled under a blanket of fog. It was beautiful and mysterious. The fog cast an eerie color over the bluffs.

 

 

When I arrived back in my studio I began interpreting this experience based on the mood I felt during that time.

 

Mary Valente invites you to follow on Instagram.

 

Want to stay current on cutting edge business articles from Artsy Shark, plus artist features, and an invitation to the next Call for Artists? Click below to sign up for our twice-monthly email. You’ll get all this plus opportunities and special offers that you can’t get anywhere else!