Today we’d like to introduce you to Valentine Viannay
Hi Valentine, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I was born in 1970, in a Parisian artist’s home and being an artist was for my mother the only option. Now being french all is taken very seriously, my mother saw my painting skills and took me to adult drawing classes at the age of 8-9 years old. Drawing and painting was my safe place and still is. I also did pottery however was never keen on having muddy fingers. We moved to London in the mid 80’s and I joined a youth theatre group to perfect my english and realized I was a terrible actor but loved the sets designing where I thrived.
I fled the nest to New York city at 19 and started my art degree at Parsons school of design, one of my favorite teachers was a set designer and inspired me to go back to London. I ended up finishing my degree at Central Saint Martins in set design. While in college, I was making sets for the youth theatre, the Lost Theatre in Fulham and very small budget movies sets too. Before graduating my careers in set design had already started and I ended up in the set designing crews for big feature movies in London until 2001. I worked on Seven Years in Tibet along side the pre production crew and assisted Jean Jacques Annaud the director. I did all the models and colors for Sleepy Hollow, dressed the sets and painted all the fake pumpkins in props, Tim Burton kindly signed one for me to keep. I did pop videos, commercials and TV movies, but you know the movie industry will wear you out fast, it turns out it was not for me and my interests changed back to painting, my safe place…
I started painting murals, learned faux finishes and Italian plasters techniques at a London based company. And then a turn of events changed my course, a friend of a friend hired me to paint murals in San Diego. Turns out I had gone full circle and painting is my true path. I stayed honestly first for the weather, the easy way of life and the American opportunities and I have truly flourished here mentally and physically and I thank my paint brushes every day!
I now have a luxurious painting finishes business (Painter Genie), a line of jewelry and hand printed home hoods and apparel (Gift Horse Handmade), a studio/ art gallery (L’Atelier) in Mission Hills supporting and hosting other artists, for almost 9 years now and I always paint fine art, that is probably my main focus at the moment.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Being an artist…excuse my french is not for sissies!
Challenges happen all the times but in most cases it’s when you learn the most. You have to be open minded when you venture into an artistic path and it’s the challenges that make you grow. Da Vinci had so many and look at what he created.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am know for a few things, my murals all around town from an 80 feet long graffiti film theme mural at UCSD to lettering at Barrio Logan (Old Fashioned Timber, Ponderosa Market) . But mostly interior designers hire me and the work is private too. I know how to paint the old traditional way with old techniques and I do complex restoration work if needed.
My hand printed and painted dish towels which are sold in San Diego stores like Art Elexia in North Park, Seaside papery in Coronado and my hand made jewelry at Bad Madge in South park. I like the fact that I use non toxic products, natural cotton, water base inks and towels are more eco than paper wipes. All my packaging is hand letter pressed at Quality Letterpress, using recycled paper or paper made in the USA.
The gallery studio L’Atelier in Mission Hills opened in 2016, has hosted a large amount of artists, some had never had the opportunity to show their work before. That was probably my biggest drive, the elevate people, elevate the level of art shown in San Diego too. The thrill of someone to show for the first time, selling the art is a wonderful feeling for the artist and the buyer.
I was told I inspired and give drive to others, I am a huge enthusiast of life, I am honest and that can get me in terrible trouble sometimes or great aha moments.
The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
You have to respect others choices and respect their fears.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://horse-gift-handmade.myshopify.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gifthorsehandmade/?hl=en
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwv_CCfUD9T4pE4MfbWlrNg/videos
Image Credits
all photos are by me.
