Ed Valdes
United States
As a naturalist my work is a personal response to the multidimensional aspect of nature. In the visual complexity of natural forms I see abundance, mystery, and beauty.
By using the ancient medium of egg tempera I can portray the smallest of details and at the same time the luminous quality of reality. Like the structure of nature, egg tempera paintings are made of many complex layers all working simultaneously to create the total effect.
As a naturalist, my work is a personal response to the multidimensional aspect of nature. I see abundance, mystery, and beauty in the visual complexity of natural forms.
By using the ancient medium of egg tempera, I can portray the smallest of details and, at the same time, the luminous quality of reality. Like the structures in nature, egg tempera paintings build in many complex layers. My goal is to allow my art to emerge due to the combined impact of scientific observation and subjective experience. The final result is a poetic interpretation.
I feel I’m a practitioner of the tradition of detailed realism that began with European Renaissance artists and continued with the landscape painters of the 19th century to the tempera painters of the 20th century.
The works are painted from life or based on drawings and paintings made from observation. I take no photographs since I care only about what my mind sees and how to manipulate the paint to document my understanding. For me, painting is a meditative discovery process.
Biography
Ed Valdes was raised in Northern New Jersey. He studied Art and Science at Rutgers University , and Dental Medicine at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. Making art and the study of nature have always been a lifelong passion. He is influenced by the painting methods of the early Renaissance, and the aesthetics of the 19th century landscape painters. After retirement from dentistry in 2016 he dedicates full time to painting. He currently lives in Florida.
Selected Juried Shows and Awards:
Rhode Island Watercolor Society 26th National Show, Third Place, William Bixby Memorial Award, 2021.
Louisville National Art Show, Louisville CO, 2021.
Lakeland Art Guild 49th Annual Melvin Gallery Exhibition, Florida, 2021.
Small wonder-A miniature and small work show. Kavanagh Gallery, St. Charles, IL
Hudson Valley Art Association 86th Annual National Exhibition, Connecticut, 2019.
Watercolor Art Society of Houston International 43rd Water Media Exhibition, Texas, 2019
Miniature Art Society of Florida 46th International art show,2019.
311 Gallery Landscape and Seascape Show- Honorable Mention, Raleigh.North Carolina,2019
Lakeland Art Guild 49th Annual Melvin Gallery Exhibition, Florida, 2019.
* This statement has been provided directly by the artist in association to their 16th International ARC Salon entries. This content has not been edited for typos or grammatical errors and has not been vetted for accuracy.
