Anna Valdez: An Archaeological Dig through Books and Patterns

I love books, especially books centered on the visual arts; from Jansen’s art history survey to the personal diary of Frida Kahlo to the evocative prints of the male nude by Robert Mapplethorpe, books shape me as deeply as my engagement with a work of art. Anna Valdez combines both books and art in her painting, “Studying,” a canvas of bright colors and patterns of her workspace; books stacked, some are opened to reveal a landscape vista or a nude figure (I recognize the Matisse and Gauguin,) atop a leaf patterned, red-orange table cloth. The view of the table is from above, skewed against a wall of unframed paintings, leafy plants and what appears to be a fringed shawl.

Anna Valdez describes her artistic career as an “archaeological dig” in which she “reinterprets spaces, maps and lived experiences; her paintings- cultural self-interpretations. “I am working on various narratives that investigate my own traditions and history through a visual format,” she says. In addition to her own store of memories, Valdez looks to her immediate surroundings, family photographs and recipes, and “vague stories” for the subjects of her work. Recurring motifs in her work include patterned objects, masks, and veils. (from her website www.annavaldez.com) With an academic background in archaeology and socio-cultural anthropology, Valdez’s painting offers me another way to think about my narrative and my associations with objects and the rituals I engage in and live with. 🙂

Valdez is one of 20 contemporary artists in the traveling exhibition at the New Britain Museum of American Art, “The Beyond: Georgia O’Keeffe and Contemporary Art,” an innovative exhibition that celebrates the Mother of Modernism, Georgia O’Keeffe. “The Beyond” examines the lasting impact and legacy of O’Keeffe’s work as a touchstone for artists working today, showing the continuing connections between our collective history and our present.” Click the link to learn more! http://www.nbmaa.org