Victoria College art professor Jason Valdez poses with his painting “Defective,” which has been selected to be exhibited at the 2021 National Juried Painting Exhibition on Sept. 9-Oct. 1 at the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, Miss.
A painting by Victoria College art professor Jason Valdez has been selected to be showcased at the 2021 National Juried Painting Exhibition on Sept. 9-Oct. 1 at the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, Miss.
Valdez’s oil painting “Defective” was one of 55 pieces selected for the exhibition out of approximately 750 submissions.
“This is a big accomplishment for me as a professional artist,” Valdez said. “I’m very excited about this opportunity to exhibit my work in another part of the country.”
“Defective” is part of a series of works by Valdez titled “That’s What Makes Them THAT Guy.” Valdez was inspired to produce the series of artwork by his father’s passion and dedication as a diesel mechanic.
“This particular piece came out of a personal experience I had rebuilding the brake system on my '58 Chevy panel truck,” Valdez said. “The object in the painting is a brake master cylinder that I had ordered off eBay to use on the truck. But when I finished the installation, I learned that the part was defective from the factory, hence the title. I eventually found another, functional, master cylinder and got the truck back on the road, but the image of that defective part sitting on my work bench intrigued me.”