Salvador Valencia
Sal is a contemporary plein-aire artist and abstract expressionist whose passion for life and art are vividly seen in colorful paintings. Painting outdoors with watercolors enables him to capture the true effects of color in sunlight and shade. By experimenting with color and design, he intensifies the mood and subject in his work and challenges viewers to look closer at colors seen versus what is perceived.
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Recently, he started painting t-shirts using water soluble dyes. The colors were very vibrant and transparent, which gave him the idea of using them in an abstract format on watercolor paper. Initially, he poured dye on hot-press paper, and using a card like a squeegee, he was able to move the dye around. Later, he began using an airbrush technique on rough, watercolor paper, using rags on top of the paper to design his composition. Starting from light to dark, he air-brushed the dye over the rags, revealing enhancements with unusual over-sprays. With every painting, his technique evolves into new directions.
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Graduate: Cal State Hayward, B.A Fine Arts, 1972; Adult Ed Arts Credential