Those cheap viagra canada drawn to artwork that fuses eerie googly eyes with creepy cute creatures might fall in love with the work of Jake Valentine—a local sculptor whose pieces have accumulated many fans both in and out of El Paso. His work even garnered the attention of Japanese magazine Mono, where two of his signature heart necklaces were featured.
But Valentine’s out-of-town success doesn’t make him inclined to leave El Paso he says, “It’s been getting better and better here. Why would I want to leave? As an artist, I noticed that there’s a lot of talent but not enough galleries to showcase it, and it kind of stunts artists. So one of my goals is to have my own gallery and feature other artists’ work.”
Locally, Valentine’s pieces (both jewelry and decorative sculptures) can be found at Dreadful Things—a tattoo and gift shop on 2226 Montana Ave recently opened by artist Francella Salgado. “Her shop is awesome. I couldn’t ask for a more funky and freaky shop than that because she has the most grotesquely cute things to sell,” says Valentine.
From his Cheshire-like cats to his monstrous trees, much of Valentine’s work looks like something out of a Tim Burton movie, but his inspiration draws more from anime and classic horror films he says. Timeless artists such as Erté and Tamara De Lempicka are also his subtle influences, while rockabilly and science fiction keep his creations delightfully strange.“Animals are my muse, and as much as I try to not say it, humans are my muses, too,” says Valentine. “I relate both of them and give a lot of my animals human characteristics.”
Currently, Valentine does his work at the Glasbox studio which he credits for providing him the tools to grow as an artist. There, he met Dr. Juan Ferret, director and CEO of the Philosophic Systems Institute (PSI)—a higher education organization that runs out of Glasbox and combines philosophy, science and art. Valentine joined PSI in 2012 and has been working with elementary and middle school children since, teaching them new art techniques.
For his latest project, he teamed up with Dr. Ferret to write and illustrate an all-ages book series called The Adventures of Iggy. “This book will be about Iggy and his friends and their adventures as they discover truths about their history, which is really our history,” says Valentine. “They live in domed ascended cities on what’s left of a scorched planet. Their curiosity leads them to discover the ancient ones that dwell in the under cities and on a journey to space and beyond to recover the lost books.” Valentine says he and Dr. Ferret also intend to use the book series in their educational curriculum and create collectible vinyl figures, apparel and art prints of the series as well.
While Valentine didn’t take the path that many artists venture and enroll in art school or a university, his enthusiasm to take on sculpture was supported both by the teachings of his fellow artists and self-education. His experiences thus led him to grow passionate about inspiring aspiring artists. “You have to have patience with yourself and a lot of courage to continue doing [art] regardless of how many times you feel like a failure and learn to take criticism while really not caring sometimes about the criticism,” says Valentine.
With his love for the quirky and humble desire to inspire others, it might not be long before Valentine’s ghoulishly charming creations are found throughout El Paso, haunting each shop or gallery and inducing joyful shrieks.
For more of Valentine’s enchantingly deviant pieces, visit:
instagram.com/JakeValentine
facebook.com/JakobValentine
e-mail: [email protected]
TEXT AND PHOTO CREDIT: Victoria Guadalupe Molinar
