Manuela Valenti, is a fashion
model, self-taught contemporary abstract and
classical artist and entrepreneur from Venezuela.
One of the most versatile and vibrant contemporary
artist in the world today. Throughout her almost
entire life Valenti has been creating art in
various forms, from glass, to painting and sculpting
setting her as one of the most prolific and
unconventional modern artists today. Selling
online since 1999, Valenti has sold her original
paintings and glass sculptures to over 900 collectors
on each state in the Continental US, Hawaii,
Canada, Venezuela, Colombia, Brazil, Argentina,
Spain, UK, Netherlands, Italy, France, New Zealand,
Australia, Sweden and Japan among others.
Valenti works in a variety
of mediums, creating the impression to the viewer
that there are more than one artist in her studio,
while the reality is that she's the only creator
of her vast array of works. She's not afraid
to pick up a brush and let her hand, memories
and emotions flow.
"Many times I'm asked
by gallery owners, collectors and other artists
even at shows how many artists there are in
my studio and they get surprised when they hear
this is just the work of one artist, me, and
more impressed they get when they hear I have
no formal school training or that I have
never attended any art workshops."
Valenti has exhibited on
galleries and international shows in New York,
High Point, Atlanta, Miami, Chicago, Michigan,
Spain, Italy and Venezuela. Because of her vast
array of works Valenti's works are collected
by people from all walks of life, from the entrepreneur,
to the corporate manager all the way to the
house wife, architect, art dealer and interior
designer. Due to the nature of her works she
shares two completely separate groups of collectors,
the ones that love her abstract art and the
ones that love her landscapes and figurative
works.
"It's funny but my collectors
are separated in two groups if you will. I have
collectors who just die for my abstract art
but don't quite enjoy the representational work,
and I have collectors who just plain hate my
abstract art but drool over my figurative and
landscapes. It is a weird and enjoyable feeling
for me knowing that I have such distinctive
collectors, and I wouldn't want it any other
way."
Valenti's works are vibrant
and emotionally charged, whether they represent
a landscape, a pick into the people she happens
to come across in everyday scenes or an abstract
explosion of emotions. Valenti's abstract art
focuses on her struggles and quite often deal
with the positive and negative. There is a constant
battle perceived in her works of light against
dark.... good against evil that render
them as positive and uplifting. An extensive
world traveler, Valenti has lived in Venezuela,
South America, Italy, Spain and France and visited
many places from which she gathers the necessary
inspiration both visual and emotional necessary
for her works.
"I need the emotional
explosion that my abstract art gives me, they
represent my wild rebel Aries side if you will,
while I enjoy the classical calm impressionist
style of my figurative and landscape oil paintings.
My creative process is not easy and is painful
at times as my emotions and deep feelings are
yanked out of me and glued onto the canvas as
an intangible form of expression. Its not just
splashing paint to make a good looking work
to hang above a fireplace, for me it has to
be more than just paint, solvents and canvas.
I release an incredible amount of energy on
each abstract painting while I look for peace
and a centered life when painting a landscape
or someone I saw on the street. Most of the
times I don't know when I'm done with the painting,
especially with my abstract art and I need to
leave my studio and distract my mind with something
else, but when I come back again an hour or
a day later I know what to do. It's not easy
been an abstract and impressionist painter...
is not easy been me".
In September of 2006 Valenti
joined the worldwide movement A Painting a Day,
a Daily Painting discipline started by Duane
Keiser and followed by many artists like Julian
Merrow-Smith, Karin Jurick, Michael Naples and
many others. The idea of creating one small
affordable painting everyday and offer it directly
from her
blog was not new to the artist, but was
a great opportunity again to tap into many other
subjects otherwise she wouldn't have adventured
on like figurative works which later in early
2007 became her passion.
Her impressionist works
are the reflection of her inspiration for life
and nature itself. Quite often when asked for
her source of inspiration Valenti explains
"inspiration is everywhere, on anything we
see, touch and breath. Our life is filled with
masterpieces, where anything and everything
can become a painting, I just happen to look
a little closer and pick the ones I like best."
Valenti is currently represented
by The Logan & Moore Gallery, CT,
Starkweather Gallery, MI and Artisan
Direct, NY. This last one also her manager.