Selena Valenti displayed her incredible talent at a very young age. She started drawing as soon as she could hold a pencil.   Almost from the beginning  Selena showed a strong interest in painting and drawing from a “different” perspective than most visual artists.   As a child she took lessons, but soon exhausted what the instructors could impart.   So she experimented with different styles and techniques of painting and drawing, eventually settling on her own very unique and expressive style.   By her junior year in high school, she had completed all of the available art courses, and even began developing her own classes.  

          After Selena decided that art would be her future, she attended one of the most prestigious schools in the country, the Washington University School of Fine Arts in St. Louis, Missouri.  She had the opportunity to explore many forms of art including glass blowing, sculpture, and even large scale installation.   Here she studied rigorously under extremely talented and recognized artists and art teachers.  They taught Selena to refine her unique abilities, while simultaneously showing her how to incorporate her style of painting and drawing into a form of “personal expression”.    She acquired a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Painting with a minor in Art History in 2006.

          Because of her unique talent, Selena was chosen to attend the Santa Reparata International School of Art in Florence, Italy.   She had the opportunity to study contemporary artists and the avant-garde movement emerging in Italy today.   She also traveled extensively throughout Europe and studied the works of many of the great masters of art history.   Selena says this experience forever changed her view of what contemporary art should be, and what her place within it would become.  

          Her impressive talent and unique painting style have been developed through years of experimentation using her own personal outlook on how art should stimulate the viewer.  Each painting combines photorealism and bold abstraction in a surrealistic juxtaposition that keeps the eye and mind wandering.  In a recent interview she stated, 

“I believe art should immediately evoke an emotional reaction from those who view it, either positive or negative.  It should then become a cerebral experience whereby people feel compelled to ask questions about the piece they are viewing ...maybe of the artist and their intent, but perhaps more importantly of themselves.  If art does not stimulate the viewer then it has failed in its reason for being!”  

          Selena Valenti is one of the most talented and interesting upcoming artists of our time.   As you stroll though her gallery, you will indeed have a reaction to all of her pieces.   Her work has been described by many as “Art that makes you ponder the unknown,” and when you view this sampling, you will undoubtedly agree with this statement.   

          In the future you will hear more and more about this fresh and even controversial young artist.  Be kept abreast of new additions to this unique collection by clicking on the link  Notify me of new works by this artist at the bottom of this page.