"Blessed Plaza" Nuestra Senora de Los Dolores

"Blessed Plaza" Fred Vallier. Wood block print. #1 of 3. 11" x 14". Matted. Not framed.

Nuestra Senora de Los Dolores: Margarito Mondragon, sculptor of tree trunk.

It seems appropriate that the Madonna carved from a tree stump in the Las Vegas, NM Plaza should be depicted by using a carved wood block. The print is created by transferring water colors from the prepared wood block to heavy water color paper and then embossed.  The image is a reminder of the culture that created Las Vegas.

My earliest interest in color and design expressed itself in model building, constructing attractive model airplanes from balsa wood and tissue paper that inevitably crashed and self-destructed!  That long-held interest eventually transitioned into line and form on paper, and was recognized as “talent” in grade school.  It was not until I reached young adulthood that I began to paint—and that was the spectacular scenery of my native Monterey Bay, CA surroundings.  Interestingly, I was advised by an experienced artist not to take formal art lessons that might get in the way of my originality—and I didn’t.  Except for attending occasional art conference workshops, and studying art books and successful artists’ work, I pursued whatever medium and style interested me at the time, rendering a “self-taught” artist.

I resisted the conventional dictate to develop a style that would be readily identified with me and to stay with it; to me, that never seemed an interesting way to enjoy art making.  I play with a number of techniques and styles: realism, abstraction, loose, tight, whimsical, three-dimensional, wood block, and carving--whatever seems appealing at the time. Nor do I subscribe to the dictate of adhering strictly to a given medium as long as the work has structural integrity and potential longevity. I enjoy stunning works that employ mixed media executed in unusual ways.

My work is intended to bring pleasure to the viewer—be it a beautiful, tranquil scene or an architecturally graceful building with interesting and pleasing lines. As a professional I worked with newly acquired brain injury in adults for a good part of my life, and I saw individuals suffering extremes of the human condition.  As a result of that profound experience, I create art that welcomes people into the scene, art that suggests warmth and beauty of human interaction and the natural world—and if the viewer finds a bit of integrated whimsy, so much the better. Welcoming-shelter, hospitality, and peace are recurrent themes in my paintings. Isn’t that what we all seek?

Fred Vallier is represented at 2 Ten Galeria on the Plaza in Las Vegas NM

All rights belonging to the holder of the copyright, including the reproduction rights, shall remain with the Artist.

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