2014 chART Mural Project

 

I was invited by the chART organization to paint a mural in Charleston, SC this past weekend as part of one of their great events celebrating public art. I was originally going to paint just one mural over 2 days but once i got the hang of it, I worked pretty quickly and finished one in a day. Geoff Richardson, the leader of the event, offered another space to paint the next day.

It was fun working on a new surface and at a large scale. I brought headphones to listen to music but found it better to listen to the sounds of the hustle and bustle of the area.  That was an unexpected perk of working outside in a public space. I had lots of people stop and ask questions and some old friends and students came by to say hello.

You can read more about chART here.

THE ZOO HAS CLOSED.

If you went to ZooValdes.com to buy some art you will have noticed it is now closed. I ran Zoo Valdes from 2007-2013 with much success creating animal-based art and design. After working with a new friend and partner, Barry Wheeler, to make the site more of an online shop in 2012, I just felt that it was time to simplify and get back to using just my last name. I will be selling original art and working with commercial clients just as before only I am tweeking things behind the scenes in terms of my business. I will relaunch an online store in the summer of 2014. Thanks to all who supported the "Zoo"!

 

COASTAL CAROLINA EXHIBITION 2013

I had a solo exhibition called " I Live At Zoo Valdes" at Coastal Carolina University outside of Myrtle Beach, SC. The show featured paintings on cardboard, digital prints, and mixed media drawings on paper in different sizes. There are images in the exhibition section of this website. Thanks to gallery director and bad ass artist Jim Arendt for making it the easiest show I have ever been a part of. 

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ZOO VALDES ON DESIGN RECHARGE SPREECAST

Zoo Valdes will be interviewed in a live 1 hour spreecast for Design Recharge by Diane Gibbs on Wednesday, September 26 at 2:30 PM. You can join in on the conversation and ask questions in real time by going to the link below.

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ZOO VALDES NAMED MERIT WINNER IN HOW PROMOTION DESIGN AWARDS

Project selected as one of 78 winning designs from top agencies. The Secret Species project, a project developed by Zoo Valdes, was chosen as a Merit winner in the most recent HOW Promotion Design Awards. This highly selective and well-regarded competition sponsored by HOW magazine recognizes outstanding creative work produced by individuals and creative agencies from around the world.

HOW’s editorial and design team evaluated nearly 1,000 entries and selected winning projects that demonstrated an ideal mix of concept, strategy and execution. Entries were judged by type of work (i.e., Designer Promotions, Client Promotions, Personal Promotions) and also by how effectively the design achieved the stated business goals.

All Merit winners will be featured in the September 2012 issue of HOW magazine and will be spotlighted on HOWdesign.com.

About HOW HOW magazine (HOWdesign.com) is the leading business and creativity magazine for graphic designers, whether they work in solo practices, design firms, advertising agencies or in-house groups. HOW sponsors seven design competitions and hosts the largest annual gathering of graphic designers in the U.S., HOW Design Live, in addition to the HOW Interactive Design Conference and the Mind Your Own Business Conference.   

ZOO VALDES IN RUSSIAN BEATLES ART EXHIBITION

One of my old paintings has been invited to be in an exhibition in Russia timed to take place during a visit from Paul McCartney.

The exhibition "Beatles Art" will take place in Yekaterinburg from the 17th of June till the 17th of July and coincides with the anniversary of Paul McCartney.


ZOO VALDES TYPEFACE IN NEW TYPOGRAPHY BOOK

The poster below will be featured in the upcoming typography book Mastering Type: The Essential Guide to Typography for Print and Web Design (formerly known as Letter, Word, Sentence, Paragraph) written by Denise Bosler and published by HOW books. The poster was selected for the use of it's typeface created by Zoo Valdes and Bob Werz at Sketchbook B, which has the font available for free download.

ZOO VALDES IN PICTOPLASMA MISSING LINK EXHIBITION IN PARIS

Zoo Valdes has been selected to be part of the Pictoplasma Missing Link Installation at an upcoming exhibition at the new museum la Gaîté Lyrique in Paris, taking place from December 7 – 31. A massive wall in the central exhibition hall will present 500 of the very best entries as unique digital prints.

The Missing Link research project, organized by Pictoplasma, have accidentally unleashed a true avalanche of hairy creatures: More than 5000+ entries from all around the globe have been submitted, with sightings occurring in South Africa, the Iran, Bogota, Korea, Russia, North Carolina, New Zealand, and everywhere in between... More information here: http://www.gaite-lyrique.net / http://paris.pictoplasma.com

ZOO VALDES TEAMS UP WITH PHOTOGRAPHERS FOR VISTA LIGHTS SHOW

MONKEY MEETS ZOO this Thursday, November 17 · 5:00pm - 10:00pm at MAD MONKEY, 808 Lady Street, Columbia SC. "Monkey meets Zoo" is a collaborative project by artists Tim Gardner, Marius Valdes (founder of Zoo Valdes), and Barry Wheeler, produced by Heather Bauer and Beth Valdes. The show is a series of digital images, from iPhones to Nikons, which highlight ordinary objects from places near and far – some annotated with playful, hand-drawn characters. A whimsical mixture of photography and graphic design, "Monkey meets Zoo" appeals to a lighthearted and frisky audience.

ZOO VALDES BRINGS THE SECRET SPECIES PROJECT TO AC MOORE ELEMENTARY

Marius Valdes, Nate Puza, and Hal Morris visited AC Moore Elementary to talk about graphic design and being creative. The students were given a project in class to create their own characters using sculpy clay based on Zoo Valdes' Secret Species. The students will be working to create art, original stories, and music based on their new creations. Zoo Valdes was blown away by the passion, excitement and creativity of the 50 Fifth graders in art educator's Randall Clamp's art class.

ZOO VALDES POSTER IN 41ST ANNUAL UCDA DESIGN COMPETITION

Zoo Valdes' poster for USC Maymester Character Design Class has received an Award of Excellence from The University & College Designers Association in their 41s Annual Design Competition. Out of 1100 entries only 188 awards were given. The Poster will be exhibited at the Annual Design Conference held this October in Phoenix, Arizona. The poster was silk screen printed by Zoo Valdes Intern and USC Design student, Nate Puza.

 

ZOO VALDES WINS A SEED AWARD

The Unwantables Project has received a 2011 SEED Award from the AIGA. Founded in 2005, AIGA's Southeastern Excellence in Design (SEED) Awards recognize and promote design excellence in the Southeast, from Alabama to Virginia. Extending a legacy that began more than 90 years ago, the SEED Awards work to fulfill AIGA's mission.

ZOO VALDES IN SKULL APPRECIATION SHOW

SKULL APPRECIATION DAY
An exhibition and event celebrating the cranium at Gallery 5
In honor of the first annual international Skull Appreciation Day on June 4th
Curated by Noah Scalin & Philip Cheney
June 3 – July 8
 
EXHIBITION
100+ artists share their interpretation of the skull.
Using a plain papier-mâché skull provided by the curators, over 100 local, national, and international artists are sharing their own personal take on this universal symbol. A portion of all sales will be donated to the local nonviolence organization Richmond Peace Education Center.

Zoo Valdes is Encore Awards Finalist

Zoo Valdes is pleased to announce it has been named a finalist in the first annual Encore™ Awards, presented by Consolidated Graphics, Inc. The Encore Awards were created to recognize creative and effective print and marketing solutions in the print industry.

Zoo Valdes was recognized as a finalist in the Digital category for the Unwantables Children’s Book project.

An independent panel of six judges met on February 17, in Dallas, TX, to review and discuss the merits of each entry, and finalists were chosen from more than 500 submissions. Finalists’ entries successfully incorporated a wide variety of technology, equipment and software from across Consolidated Graphics to meet the objectives of the showcased entry.

The Encore Awards will be presented at Consolidated Graphics’ 2011 emerge™ conference, which will take place May 17-20 in Dallas, TX.  The entries will be on display throughout the conference where attendees can view them and cast votes for the People’s Encore Award.  The People’s Encore Award will be announced on May 18 at the Encore Awards gala.