Arts Directory

About

Artist Bio:

Marius Valdes is an artist currently based in Columbia, South Carolina. He is a Professor in Studio Art concentrating on Design and Illustration at The University of South Carolina. He lives in Forest Acres, South.

Valdes received his BFA in Graphic Design from the University of Georgia and his MFA in Visual Communication from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2005.

Valdes has been recognized by design publications such as Graphic Design USA, HOW, Print, Communication Arts, Creative Boom, Creative Quarterly, STEP, and industry competitions including American Illustration, World Illustration Awards, AIGA InShow, AIGA SEED Awards, and The South Carolina Advertising Federation Addy Awards.

Valdes’ work has been featured in several books about contemporary graphic design and illustration. He has participated in solo and group exhibitions internationally. Valdes has presented at academic conferences about design and illustration related topics.

In 2017, Valdes completed a one-year residency as the first visual Artist in Residence at the award-winning and innovative Richland Library. Most recently, Valdes has won recognition for his work with MUSC Children’s Hospital including several murals. In 2022, UK’s Creative Boom, an online magazine for creative professionals, selected Valdes as “one of the most exciting illustrators to follow”. Also, in 2022, Valdes received The SECAC (Southeastern College Art Conference) Award for Excellence in Design.

Artist Statement:

I utilize creativity to make complex topics relatable and approachable for everyone. The primary objective of my work is to use the visual language of character-based art and illustration to develop a creative process that can be applied in commercial work and in the classroom. Character-based art has the capacity to create memorable and engaging visual language that communicates to people of all ages and nationalities. My ultimate goal is to make creative work that benefits communities, specifically families and children. While I am trained as a graphic designer, I use those skills to inform my main passion, illustration.