Hello! My name is Marina Valentina, and I'm the wedding painter, not to be confused with the wedding singer! My work is informed by nearly a decade of formal training, graduating from LACHSA and CalArts, as well as continued education and practice since. Luckily, I got to start early, and develop my creative sensibility before too much formal training. I'm really grateful for that; it's allowed me to develop my own ways of approaching art-making. Spending my early years learning through a playful approach, one that is not technique or outcome oriented, taught me how to get myself into the right mindset for the most rewarding experience, and leading to the best outcome.

My style leaves room for an intuitive sense of the unseen to come through. This lets me create in ways that feel connected to that which I paint, in ways beyond just a study of the subjects. I know each piece is done when it embodies the transformative, deeply felt magic. That is when I know I've succeeded.

While I've enjoyed painting in my studio on my own for myself for the last 20 years, I'm finding more joy in creating work around others these days, art making that's in direct service, integrated into community, with gifts of smiles and a vision of the impact art-making has, firsthand.
I'm so excited for all the love there is to witness and reflect back. What life-changing rituals to witness!