Sign of the times Print

Valentine Viannay is a French artist and designer, who explores a wide range of discipline and materials merging her art and craft in a distinctive body of work. Born in Paris in 1970, Valentine grew up in an artistic community of dancers, photographers, jewelers, painters and musicians. She was instilled with a love of art at an early age, having attended Decroly, a ‘méthode globale’ philosophy school, focusing on learning through life experiences, keeping bees, planting vegetables and art expression. Valentine started her higher education at the Parsons School of Design in New York and earned her degree in Set Design from Central Saint Martins of London. Her exposure to London’s theater scene landed her projects in productions for the National Opera House and she became one of the set designers for Fulham’s Lost Theater from 1986-96. (‘Life is a dream’ by Calderòn, set design co-directed with John Barton from the Shakespeare Company). Eventually, her experience led her to working in feature film. (Assisted Jean-Jacque Annaud in post production on "Seven Years in Tibet", as well as working in set design for Fernando Colombo, Rose Troche and Tim Burton). After discovering the breathtaking landscapes of the southern California coast during an interior design project, Valentine discovered her home in San Diego where she has lived and worked since 2001. Valentine re-invented herself by creating a traditional wall finishes and murals company, and has had projects all over the US and abroad painting. In 2016 Valentine opened a public studio and gallery - L’Atelier - in Mission Hills, San Diego where she has the freedom to create her art in various forms including painting, printing and jewelry making. The inspirations of her body of work originate from dreams, meditations and life experiences, oscillating between free modern abstracts and more structured graphic designs. Her work expresses a sense of freedom and fun. Her most current pieces reflect her love for the scenic and story-telling, incorporating the experiences of her colorful travels directly onto her canvas.