by Amanda Beland

Victoria Valente is a painter living in Everett, Massachusetts. She started painting and making art in her teens. She went to the University of New Hampshire as an undeclared freshman with hopes to major in music. After a year of taking music classes, Valente left UNH and took a year off from school to work and figure out exactly what she wanted to do next.

She was accepted and began attending the University of Massachusetts at Lowell where she majored in painting. She graduated with her BFA in 2012.

She currently works as a manager at Blick Art Materials near Fenway Park and continues to paint on her own whenever possible.

The last major show Valente completed was in 2013 when she designed and painted a piano for the Boston Street Art project “Play Me – I’m Yours” which gave local artists pianos and allowed them to remake them in their vision. Valente’s piano was – and still is – at the Ben and Jerry’s on Newbury Street.

Valente said her current line of work centers around the evolution of words and ideas. When she thinks of a word or phrase that strikes her, she’ll paint them on a canvas. Then, she uses the mood, vibe, feeling behind the letters she’s painted to determine what colors and design she uses for the rest of the canvas. Sometimes, Valente aims to cover and disguise the words – sometimes she let’s them come through in various ways on the canvas.

Valente’s inspiration changes constantly – from factory farming for her senior thesis to dental work to specific clothing styles and outfits to even dried fruit. She says her motivation to continue painting stays the same.

“I feel like it’s a lot of pressure to fulfill the title of ‘artist’ said Valente. “When people ask if I’m an artist or say I’m an artist, I’m like ‘yeah, kind of, I guess I am, sure’. I just feel like it’s a huge title with a lot of expectations … I paint because I love it – it’s how my brain works. I try not to force anything, but when I get into a zone, I go with it as much as possible.”

Valente currently doesn’t have a website – (she’s working on it) – but she’s working on paintings and applications for a couple upcoming shows and projects in the Boston-area this summer.