Valentina Atkinson
Valentina Atkinson was born and raised in Mexico City. She studied Industrial Design at Universidad Ibero-Americana in Mexico, and Textile Design and Communication Arts at the University of San Francisco in the U.S.
The daughter of a painter and an architect, Atkinson developed an early interest the arts that has become a lifelong passion. She has studied with renowned artists such as Manuel Arrieta and Alicia Leyva in Mexico, and Arthur Turner and others, at the Glassell School of Art, the Houston Art League and the Watercolor Society of Texas.
As a visual artist, Atkinson is known primarily for her abstract watercolor compositions. Her work has been selected for juried exhibitions throughout the United States and Mexico, and is held in dozens of private collections internationally.
Atkinson currently lives and works in Houston, where she is also the owner and artistic director of Serrano Gallery.
Artist Statement
As an artist, I am drawn to the vital movement and creativity of human beings. My own work, whether I am working with watercolors, acrylics, encaustic, ink, or some other medium, is a reflection of ‘a moment in movement,’ and an expression of my authentic self. In a sense, my work becomes an attempt to render the invisible visible. The work requires no explanation; my objective is to create art that honors the relationship between object and viewer; and acknowledges the unlimited and spontaneous nature of that wonderful open-ended dynamic.”
I believe my work also taps into the aesthetic traditions, visual legacies and experiences associated with my early life in Mexico. This surfaces in the use of intense color, color layering and the play on light. In a sense, my art practice is also inspired by children’s artwork. I try to recapture that sense of playfulness, freedom and joy that permeates their creative expression before they begin to develop an awareness of any real, or perceived, limitations.h
