Artist Profile: Patty DelValle

By Ellen Samsell Salas

Patty DelValle starts each day with a time of devotion. She then begins painting, allowing her faith to walk with her while she creates. 

“My paintings portray a level of peace, joy, something that uplifts,” she said. “Those are the qualities that stem from my relationship with the lord, and those are the things I want to give back.”

Inspired by the beauty of flowers, DelValle creates abstract florals using a variety of acrylic materials — from paints, to pastes, to pigmented sticks. Her preferred palette is composed of uplifting colors such as pinks, blues, and greens. Her renderings are impressionistic rather than photorealistic; their strokes evoke the sense of blossoms, leaves, and stems. Never consulting photographs, DelValle relies on her mind’s interpretation to paint flowers instead of attempting to mirror their images.

“I love flowers, and they bring everyone joy. They are beautiful and individual. They are part of our celebrations and our sad times,” she said. “And there is so much variety — a little wild flower is as delicate as a rose, those tough ones that grow up through a crack in the driveway — I love that. They’re just beautiful.” 

Most often working on small canvasses, DelValle begins with a sense of the colors she wants to “play with.” Opening herself to an intuitive process, she creates her background entirely in loose, free strokes while experimenting with different color combinations. Once her background is in place, she begins her foreground, responding to her strokes and building layers from them. 

Painting on heavy paper because she likes the way it holds the paint, she uses brushes and painters’ wedges, but also turns to household items such as spatulas and plastic icing knives to create thick and thin lines, transparent and opaque shapes, as well as dark and light contrasts. Often, she adds drips of paint by hanging her canvasses on the wall and allowing gravity to work its magic. While she creates stems, leaves, and petals, her strokes remain free and abundant, filling the surface with energy and movement. Rich color combinations and tonal contrasts add to the beauty that bursts off the canvas.

DelValle says that her artistic growth continues. 

“It’s practice, more and more practice and trust in myself, giving myself permission not to be perfect,” she said. 

While she hopes to free herself to do even more abstract works, DelValle loves the peace and beauty her floral works convey. 

“I wouldn’t know what to do with myself if I weren’t creative in some way. I’m not after fame or fortune. If I can paint, I feel fulfilled,” she said. “Outside of my faith, art is fulfilling, being able to paint and be happy with the results of my painting.”

To see more of DelValle’s work, visit PattyDArt.com or follow her on Instagram @Pattyd.art.