Valentina Peroza

Born in Venezuela and raised in Minnesota from the age of two, Valentina Peroza grew up as an outgoing child navigating the challenges of being different in a new culture. As an immigrant, making friends wasn’t always easy, which led her to find comfort and joy in solitude—drawing, crafting, and creating. She has always had a love for art ever since she was a kid, as it’s been the only thing that she found that she resonated with. Art became a powerful form of self-expression and connection, both with herself and others. She was able to express herself and her feelings with her art in ways she couldn’t put into words before. Most of the time, regardless of what feeling she was trying to express, the paintings stayed colorful. Through dedication and curiosity, she refined her techniques over the years, growing more in touch with both her creativity and emotions.

She has worked hard learning new techniques throughout her schooling and has gotten more in touch with her creativity and feelings.  Her art makes her feel very free—she would describe it as soft, whimsical, and flowing with energy. She specializes in ceramics, drawing, and painting, though she also explores music and jewelry-making.  She always likes to try new forms of art because she never knows what she’s going to fall in love with. While she considers herself primarily a painter, her work spans many forms. Whether through landscapes, self-portraits, or surrealist compositions, her work reflects a deeply personal narrative. For her, art is more than a practice; it's a lifelong language of feeling and self-expression. In short, she has been able to put her feelings into her art—whether it be a painting or a sculpture—and it has been the way she communicates how she feels for her whole life.