Artist Statement
My creative projects have evolved from a lifelong interest and relationship with visual stories and character based art and design. To me the most interesting aspect of creating art is imagination. It gives the artist the ability to create new worlds, interesting characters, and situations that can address any topic in a unique way. It is important for me to share my imagination with others.
Bio
Marius Valdes was born and raised in Charleston, South Carolina. He received his BFA in Graphic Design from the University of Georgia and his MFA in Visual Communication from Virginia Commonwealth University. He has shown his artwork in exhibitions in Colorado, Georgia, Los Angeles, South Carolina, and Virginia in addition to private and commercial commissions from across the United States.
Valdes' commercial artwork has received awards from design publications including Print and Communication Arts, and professional organizations such as the Advertising Federation of Charleston, and the American Institute of Graphic Arts. Valdes currently lives in Columbia, SC where he is an Assistant Professor of Graphic Design at the University of South Carolina.
Press
http://www.dailygamecock.com/mix/item/2877-artist-brings-cartoons-to-life
http://www.goupstate.com/article/20100617/ARTICLES/6171018
http://www.charlestoncitypaper.com/charleston/city-picks/Content?oid=1107615
http://www.goupstate.com/article/20060224/NEWS/602240356
http://www.upstatelink.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060418/LINK/604180318
http://www.lasvegascitylife.com/articles/2011/06/02/ae/art/iq_44690569.txt
Awards
2010 AIGA InShow Awards. Winner of InShow Award and Special Juror Award for package design
2010 14th Seoul Cartoon and Animation Festival. Winner of Special Jury Prize for Digital Art
2010 Creative Quartely: The Journal of Art and Design. Package Design
2009 Creative Quartely: The Journal of Art and Design. Winner of Merit, logo
2008 AIGA South Carolina InShow. 3 awards for poster design and illustration
2008 STEP Design Magazine, Runner-Up Selection, STEP 100 Design Annual.
3 entries selected poster design and illustration featured on publication’s website
2007 City of Spartanburg Logo Design Competition. Logo design
2007 Columbia Ad Club Addy Award. Illustration for poster
2007 Columbia Ad Club Addy Award. Illustration for poster
2007 Greeenville Ad Club Silver Addy Award. Illustration for poster
2007 Greeenville Ad Club Gold Addy Award. Illustration for poster
2007 Print Regional Design Annual. Poster design
2007 AIGA South Carolina InShow, 2 awards. Poster design and illustration
2006 AIGA South Carolina InShow. Illustration for poster
2006 Advertising Federation of Charleston Addy, Judges Award for Storytelling. Illustration and art direction for animated web movie. Part of project for Blue Ion
2006 Advertising Federation of Charleston Addy Award. Illustration for web movie
2005 AIGA South Carolina InShow, 2 awards. Illustration for poster and poster design
2005 Virginia Commonwealth University Phi Kappa Phi Society
2003 Communication Arts Illustration Annual. Series of 5 illustrations selected
2003 Print Regional Design Annual. llustrations for poster and t-shirt design
2002 Print Regional Design Annual. Illustrations for calendar
2002 Advertising Federation of Charleston Silver Addy Award. Illustration for poster
2002 Advertising Federation of Charleston Bronze Addy Award. Illustration for poster
Works Highlighted in Books
2008 100’s: Visual Ideas, Logos, and Letterhead1
2 corporate logo designs included.
1Woolman, Matt. Angela Patchell Books Ltd., East Sussex.
2006 Beatles Art: Fantastic New Artwork of the Fab Four1
Illustration featured in this collection of Beatles-inspired artwork.
1Boxigami Books. 2006
2004 Motion Design1
Graduate studies project work used as sample of creative process in book.
1Woolman, Matt. Motion Design, pages 90-91, London: Roto Vision. 2004
Exhibitions (solo shows marked with *)
2010 Bio Graphics Poster Exhibition. Udine, Italy.
2010 14th Seoul International Cartoon and Animation Festival. Seoul, Korea.
2010 Cultural Arts Center* at Glen Allen. Glen Allen, Virginia.
2009 McKissick Museum. Columbia, South Carolina.
2009 Metro Space Gallery*. Richmond, Virginia.
2009 The Soap Factory. Minneapolis, MN.
2008 Metro Space Gallery*. Richmond, Virginia.
2008 Cultural Arts Center at Glen Allen. Glen Allen, Virginia.
2008 The Showroom Gallery and Performance Hall. Spartanburg, SC.
2007 South Eastern College Art Conference Member’s Exhibition. Little Rock, Arkansas
2007 Metro Space Gallery*. Richmond, Virginia.
2007 USC Upstate Gallery. Spartanburg, South Carolina.
2007 Theatre 99*. Charleston, South Carolina.
2007 The Showroom. Spartanburg, South Carolina.
2007 Greenville Technical College. Greer, South Carolina.
2006 Spartanburg Artists Guild. Spartanburg, South Carolina.
2006 Smart Space. Las Angeles, California.
2006 Outre Gallery. Richmond, Virginia.
2006 LIFT Coffee*. Richmond, Virginia.
2005 Anderson Gallery. Richmond, Virginia.
2005 Theatre 99*. Charleston, South Carolina.
2005 Flat International Gallery*. Richmond, Virginia.
2004 Bizarre Market Gallery Show. Richmond, Virginia.
2004 Knee Hi Art Studio. Denver, Colorado.
2003 Art Station. Stone Mountain, Georgia.
2003 Theatre 99*. Charleston, South Carolina.
2003 Piccolo Spoleto. Charleston, South Carolina.
Presentations
2010 “The Unwantables: A Creative Project Exploring The Use of Graphic Design, Illustration, and Fine Art in Designer Toys”. South Eastern College Art Conference, Richmond, Virginia.
2010 “The Secret Species: Characters with Purpose”. Shadow Play Illustration Symposium. Cardiff School of Art and Design. Cardiff, Wales.
2010 “Characters That Communicate”. Poster Presentation. UCDA Design Education Summit. Lawrence, Kansas.
2009 Chair. “Characters With Meaning: Character-Based Graphic Design, Illustration, and New Media”. South Eastern College Art Conference, Mobile, Alabama.
2009 “Characters With Meaning: Character-Based Graphic Design, Illustration, and New Media”. South Eastern College Art Conference, Mobile, Alabama.
2008 Chair. “Graphic Novels in Visual Communication Education”. South Eastern
College Art Conference, New Orleans, Louisiana.
2008 “Making Stuff: Graphic Designer as Fine Artist and Working Professional”.
South Eastern College Art Conference, New Orleans, Louisiana.
2008 “Communication Through Character Design in Visual Communication
Education”. International Digital Media and Arts Association Conference. Savannah, Georgia.
2007 Chair. “New Visual Forms of Visual Narrative in the Graphic Design Foundation”.
South Eastern College Art Conference, Charleston, West Virginia. 2007
2007 Panel member. “Personal Media: Public Good- The AIDS PPSA Project”. International Digital Media and Arts Association Conference. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
2007 “Visual Narrative in Graphic Design and New Media”. USC Upstate Research Symposium. Spartanburg, South Carolina.