Justin K Valenti

About the Artist

Justin Valenti is a 28 year-old artist, author and advocate who lives in Maryland. He enjoys creating artwork in his home studio and is an artist at the VisAbility Art Lab at VisArts in Rockville. Fluid painting, digital artwork and animation are his specialties, but he also explores other mediums including printmaking. He is the business owner of Artistic Expressions by Justin K Valenti. He has exhibited artwork in Maryland, Virginia and California. He designed a community mural with a focus on inclusion, acceptance, unity, and diversity at Wheaton Regional Park in Maryland. In November 2023, Justin received the Maryland Governor’s Award for his outstanding achievements in Disability Culture. Justin is also a self published author of five books and the drummer in a band. Justin Valenti is supported in part by funding from the Montgomery County Government and the Arts & Humanities Council of Montgomery County.

Artist's Statement

As a digital artist, I am interested in themes related to nature, animals, pop culture, and digital art. My work is based on kinetic and optical art. I use optical illusions as backgrounds in my artwork and the objects in my artwork look like they are in motion. Most of my artwork is based on pictures that I take myself and find online. I create backgrounds using optical illusions in Adobe Illustrator/Photoshop and place my drawings on top of these backgrounds. I also superimpose images of animals and pieces of pop culture, placing them into an interesting setting for the viewer to explore. I create fluid art using a range of different colors and techniques. Each painting is one of a kind because the colors flow in an unpredictable way on each canvas. I select my colors based on my mood and then mix the colors myself using Floetrol to thin the paint and silicone drip oil to create special effects. I pour the paint onto the canvas and continue to manipulate the flow to create the special effects. I want each viewer to have a unique experience. Everyone can interpret the colors and movement their own way using their imagination.