Columbia-based artist Marius Valdes has always known his art style was unique. Growing up, he would read comics such as "Peanuts" and "Garfield" and take inspiration from their simplistic styles while putting his own spin on them. Over time, he realized that putting a smile on people's faces was the highlight of his art.
The Koger Center for the Arts' newest exhibit, "Joyous Creatures," which opened in December 2023, features over 200 of Valdes' brightly colored, animal-like creature paintings. Valdes said the exhibit aims to bring happiness to those who view it.
Valdes is a professor of graphic design and illustration at USC's School of Visual Art and Design. His artwork has been commissioned in places outside of the classroom, such as Columbia's annual holiday event, Vista Lights, which he makes banners and billboards for. His work has also received numerous accolades, including the South Eastern College Arts Conference Award for Excellence in Graphic Design in 2022.
Karen Magradey, the assistant director of the Koger Center, said Valdes' whimsical art style first caught her attention when she read about his work in an article from USA Today. She said she and her team were enthusiastic about displaying his artwork at the Koger Center because his style would provide a change of pace for the gallery.
“It’s a nice variation,” Magradey said. “We haven’t ever had an illustrator before, and it was just nice to mix it up a little bit — have something a little different.”
A wall in the "Joyous Creatures" exhibit in the Upstairs Gallery of the Koger Center for the Arts features paintings of different creatures, such as cows, bears, elephants and crocodiles. The exhibit, created by USC School of Visual Art and Design professor Marius Valdes, opened on Dec. 1, 2023, and is meant to bring joy to its viewers through its simplicity.
The Koger Center gave him as much creative freedom as he wanted, allowing him to create one of his largest displays of artwork in a long time, Valdes said.
His art style captivates onlookers with its charm, for each of his pieces has its own unique qualities, said Emily Moffitt, the Koger Center's gallery curator.
“All the creatures that are in the show have such distinct personalities. None of them fall into the background amongst the other ones,” Moffitt said.
The exhibit became accessible to the public on Dec. 6 during an opening reception, where nearly 100 people viewed Valdes’ exhibit for the first time, Moffitt said. While attendees admired his artwork, Valdes drew on paper bags for the young visitors. Kids drew their own creations on paper bags, as well, which they were able to take home with them.
“It was nice to see. It was a good crowd,” Moffitt said. “(The crowd was) very diverse in both age and ethnicity, which was really nice because it's a very universal kind of subject matter. His art style is appealing to really everyone."
While he wants his art to make people smile, Valdes said he is glad to see all kinds of reactions to his artwork.
“I always get comments like, ‘Oh, looks like a 5-year-old did this,’ and which I think is fun, but as long as it makes people kind of laugh or stop for a second and look at it, I'm happy,” Valdes said.
The Koger Center has focused more on showcasing fine art with its past few exhibits, such as Jaime Misenheimer's Moon Crush exhibit last September, making Valdes’ artwork stand out even more, Moffitt said.
“A lot of the work we’ve shown is very serious here,” Moffitt said. “This was kind of like a hard shift into 'children’s art.'”
Valdes said he wants his art to be something students can take inspiration from and expand their creativity with.
“I hope (students) see my work and think, ‘Oh, I could do that,’” Valdes said. “I would want them to try.”
"Joyous Creatures" will be on display until March 11. The Koger Center will have a closing reception for the exhibit, where people may take his paintings off the wall and purchase them.
All of Valdes' artwork is also available for purchase on the exhibit's website.