Valentín-Bravo: The paintings I’m showing are a gathering, a collection of my times in Mexico and of my indigenous roots. I feel proud and blessed, and I pour all of who I am and where I come from into my paintings. The paintings I am displaying, like most of my work, for me might represent hard times or things that might not always seems bright and beautiful, yet I can’t help but find beauty in what surrounds me. Even those things that others might see as grotesque have a beauty… a beauty that in my work is transformed into bright vibrant colors. I cannot help but embrace it.
What are some of the influences that inspire your work?
There are so many things, but in a word life itself is what inspires me. It’s funny because my paintings are constantly filled with what might be considered death or día de los muertos imagery so you would think that they are about death, in a sense they are but death is also part of life. Life is what influences me, my family, the feeling of love, even of broken heartedness… different emotions and events. It’s hard to explain in words for me.
Are there other artists whose work has influenced you?
Yes, there are several artists whose work I deeply admire and whose work fills me with emotions. Of course Frida Kahlo would be at the top of that list. The way she transformed her pain into art, how she could take such dark subject matter and in a sense pour herself onto a canvas using a palette of bright colors. I also love the work of Georgia O’Keeffe, especially her flower paintings. Finally, I love the work of Arturo Rivera, a painter whose work is very dark but in which I find so much beauty.
Were there other artists in your family? I am Perúpecha and am connected here to a large network of Perúpechas, people from my mother’s town in Michoacán. I remember growing up with my mother making figurines out of straw, what we call artesanias or folk-art in Mexico. She would make intricate mobiles with them, we still have some hanging in our house here. She would also make the traditional traje clothing used by women in our town. I have uncles and aunts in San Jeronimo that make other artesanias and they say I have an uncle who paints and who is famous, he travels around the world with his work. Also traveling to our town, seeing all of the color in the skirts and clothing, the buildings, the markets, I think that is where the art comes from in my family.
What is your favorite artistic medium?
I feel most comfortable using acrylics but I want to learn new mediums. I am self-taught so I sometimes feel like I might not have the academic art fundamentals. However, I want to expand my artistic palette. I feel that art and artists need to be flexible, willing to learn, always ready to explore new horizons. Can you tell us what you are currently working on? I am working with the boys and girls club as their art instructor. I love working with kids because they have so much imagination. They see so much potential in things we might otherwise discard. I am collaborating in the exhibit for the ofrendas at Miracle and I continue to paint. It’s something that is part of my life, something I feel empty without, so I paint.
Our free exhibit of Day of the Dead altars and artwork continues to be open one hour prior to each performance of ¡Viva la Revolución! through Nov. 13 at El Centro Milagro (525 SE Stark St., Portland, Oregon). For more information, visit our website at www.milagro.org.
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