Blobs, Dogs, Frogs, Etc., features new works by Marius Valdes featuring his usual cast of characters including animals and strange creatures in a style that he calls “Cartoon Pop Folk Art”. This exhibition includes large acrylic paintings on canvas and over a hundred small ink drawings on mini canvases that will appeal to adults and kids. Valdes has been making character driven art since 2000 where he first gained notice for his artwork displayed at The Music Farm in Charleston, South Carolina. Since then, Valdes has made hundreds of paintings and sold them across the country. You can see more examples of his Fine Art in Columbia at Nest on Main, Edventure Children’s Museum, The State Museum, and The Music Farm or online at www.valdesart.com. Artist Bio Marius Valdes is an artist currently based in Columbia, South Carolina. He is an Associate Professor in Studio Art at The University of South Carolina concentrating on design and illustration. Valdes received his BFA in Graphic Design from the University of Georgia in 1998 and his MFA in Visual Communication from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2005. Valdes has been recognized with awards from international and national competitions for creative professionals and has had six solo exhibitions (Ohio, Nevada, South Carolina, and Virginia) and been selected for 15 juried group exhibitions at the international, national, and regional levels including shows in Russia, South Korea, France, and England. He has won industry recognition for his graphic design and illustration work from renowned design publications such as HOW, Print, Communication Arts, Creative Quarterly, STEP, and industry competitions including The AIGA's InShow and SEED Awards, and The South Carolina Advertising Federation Addy Awards in Charleston, Columbia, and Greenville. Valdes' work has been featured in several books about contemporary graphic design and illustration.