Artist Spotlight: Luis Valencia

Young artist Luis Valencia explains to us: "My artwork explores the feelings and emotions and the emptiness that is brought upon by depression. I try to capture the melancholic feeling and the unexpected beauty that is produced by it. I also explore ideas of existence, identity, and being gay in today’s society.

"These are recurring themes I express in drawings, paintings, and photographs, or any medium that can perfectly capture the certain feeling I am conveying. I try to blur the line between photorealism and painterliness as well as balance minimalism and highly detailed work to convey reality and the dream world we create for ourselves. "

Valencia is a 25-year-old artist living in Los Angeles. He graduated from Georgia Highlands College with an associate of arts and is continuing his education at the University of California, Los Angeles. Luis predominantly works with oil paints but also uses photography, paper cutouts, and ballpoint pens. 

Visit Luis's website and follow him on Instagram and Tumblr.