Northern California Painter Valerie Rodriguez
My fourth interview is with Valerie Rodriguez, a painter and nature enthusiast living in Truckee, California. Valerie discusses her deep love for the outdoors, the inspiration she draws from Lake Tahoe, and the evolution of her creative journey.
Hi Valerie! Tell me a bit about yourself and your background.
I’m a painter based out of Truckee, CA, a small mountain town just outside of Lake Tahoe. A native to the San Francisco Bay Area, I grew up in an area rich in diversity, art, and the freedom to pave your own way, and I think that environment really influenced my work over the years. I come from an incredibly supportive family - my dad was a welder by trade and I was amazed at how he could build something so beautiful out of scraps of wood and metal. Lately he’s been making custom furniture and it has been really inspiring to watch. My mom was a hair stylist when I was young and transitioned into the software industry in the mid-90s. She instilled in me a foundation of problem-solving skills that my art and design rely on. Being exposed to a life built from the ground up has affected every facet of my personality, and those themes are weaved throughout my work today: Possibility. Independence. Opportunity.
Your photos of the California landscape are so captivating. How do your surroundings influence your work?
The beauty of Lake Tahoe is unmatched and unpredictable. There are so many “wow” moments in a single day that it’s impossible not to feel inspired. I’ve lived here for almost two years, and everything still feels new and surprising. No matter where you move, I think there’s something about changing your surroundings that enlivens part of you and makes you wonder. Truckee is full of wonder.
Many of your paintings have a sense of being immersed in nature, and evoke a feeling of tranquility and wonder. Can you tell me a bit about your own experiences in nature?
Nature has always been my paradise. I grew up an athlete and my favorite moments were always spent outdoors. There’s something so powerful about a landscape that man can’t control—seasons, ocean tides, sunlight and shadow—I live for moments that make you feel small, and the best place to find that is out is in nature.
What do you hope viewers will take away from your work?
I hope I inspire others to live more slowly. You always hear that life is swift, but I think we have the power to claim more of that time just by living in the present. It’s amazing the things you notice when you choose to slow down.
How have your paintings evolved and shifted over the last few years?
I didn’t paint very often in my early 20s - mostly pet portraits that friends and family had commissioned. I learned how to paint for others, but hadn’t yet learned how to paint for myself. Then, a few years ago, I went through a divorce that changed the course of my life for the better. At the time of course, I felt like my life was in pieces - the future I envisioned for myself was foggy and uncertain. I knew that I needed help healing from emotional trauma and navigating the rocky road ahead, so even before telling my friends and family I was leaving my marriage, I booked an appointment with a therapist. She helped me prioritize self-care and rediscover the things that always made me happiest: time in nature, time to myself, and painting.
I spent all of my free time over the next two weeks in an extra bedroom that served as my art studio and painted my 36x48 orange tree piece. The trunk symbolized stability, the fruit symbolized growth, and fallen oranges were all of the things that no longer served me. From there, my art career bloomed.
I carved out time to paint every day, either early in the morning before work or in the evening while I cooked dinner. I began taking my sketchbook with me while I hiked on the weekends and started merging my creative outlet with my physical one. Step by step, I felt like I was taking back control of my life, and that power lives within all of the subjects in my figurative pieces. Each woman is choosing her own way, living in the present and accomplishing things she didn’t know she could.
When did you join instagram, and how has it impacted you as an artist?
I joined Instagram fairly recently as a way to document my work. Looking back, my feed really reflects my story as an artist, starting with pet portraits, moving into my orange tree, then quick early-morning watercolors, and emerging in my current style. It’s been such an amazing platform for community, and I’ve met so many artists and outdoors women that inspire me on a daily basis.
What advice what you give to artists who are either beginning their career, or working to develop their career?
Paint often, from photos or from life. Resist the urge to paint from other artists’ paintings - it will only leave you discouraged. Paint for yourself, not for others. Your passion in your subject will shine through the canvas so much that others will be drawn to it as well. And finally, be patient with yourself! We’ve all had to push past our fear of failure to create a body of work that we love. Just take it slow and be kind to yourself in the process.
Follow Valerie on Instagram at: valeriestyleart
Website: www.valeriestyleart.com