Vincent Valdez is a San Antonian artist.

This piece ws originally published in the San Antonio Report. The photo is by Al Rendon, the words are by Vincent Valdez.

------------

I am known for – and I have worked in – an epic, monumental scale, but now I’m drawn back to a much smaller format. I don’t approach scale in terms of the masculinity of large scale. For me, it goes back to being a kid in the cinema, witnessing how an image affects the audience. That’s when it clicked for me. It has been a quest to figure out how to interpret that same motivation in a surreal, captivating moment in a still image on canvas. In terms of visual aesthetics, it’s hard to deny that presence. It spills over into a sociopolitical realm.

But I think I can achieve that on a small scale as well. It’s more difficult for me. It breaks my back to work on an 8 x 8 or 6 x 6 canvas. It’s a mystery, a challenge to slip outside expectations. I imagine people wandering in to the gallery of my exhibit next fall in Houston expecting to see my large works. For me, these smaller paintings speak in delicate whispers that carry an intimate message to the viewer. It’s a new journey.