Roberto Valera

By Ken Hall

It isn't uncommon to hear artists say they knew they wanted to create almost from the time they could talk. The need to draw, to paint, to work with one's hands -- to be involved in the creative process -- is an innate quality for some people, certainly for most accomplished artists.

Not so for Roberto Valera. His life has been an artistic anomaly, considering he had almost no interest in drawing even as a child growing up in pre-Castro Cuba. "Becoming an artist was the furthest thing from my mind, all through my formative years and even throughout my twenties," he said.

But today, Roberto Valera is an accomplished painter, specifically of watercolor miniatures. It's a passion that came on the heels of an interest in photography that didn't begin until Valera was in his early 30's. Even then, it was happenstance that brought man and art form together.

"A friend of mine had bought a camera and didn't know how to use it," Valera recalled. "So I said, 'Let me give it a try.' I took some pictures and I was amazed -- they came out great! I took some more shots and they came out even better."

Valera decided then and there to take up photography as a hobby, one that quickly grew into a passion. He learned through books more about color and composition -- although he was blessed with a natural knack for both -- and got technical advice from the owner of a camera store.

Before long, he was developing his own photos, most of which were still lifes -- an onion, some flowers, a whole garlic, fruits, things of that sort. He liked animals and took some shots at the zoo. When photographing his kids, he opted for the candid effect, using a zoom lens.

"I did some work for my friends, and they all liked what I did," he said. "I was surprised to go to their homes and see my photographs hanging on their walls. I thought, 'Hey, I must be good!' I was passionate about it, but it was still mostly a hobby, something to do in my spare time."

Valera began taking pictures around 1977, in south Florida, where he now resides (in Weston, about 20 minutes west of Fort Lauderdale). Photography is still an interest today, but the passionate side of his art was overtaken about six years ago by painting. That, too, can be attributed to happenstance.

"In 1997, a Colombian friend of mine named Jorge Barrera, an architect who paints in watercolors, was aware of my skills in color and composition and asked if I might like to apply them to paper," Valera said. "At first I resisted. I had no interest at all in a paintbrush. No way."

Valera had to admit to Barrera that he didn't even know what a watercolor was! But when he saw some of his friend's creations, he was impressed. "I liked the transparency, the colorful look -- it hit me in a very positive way."

Barrera began tutoring Valera in a conversational manner, convincing him that his mind was a blank slate and therefore the possibilities were limitless. "He also gave me some books to read, but I said, 'Look, either this is something I do right now or we can just forget the whole thing.'"

The two decided the best approach would be for Valera to simply copy what Barrera had painted, to see if he liked it enough to continue. "Everything he did looked beautiful and everything I did looked horrible," Valera said with a laugh. "I wanted to throw it all away. But Jorge stopped me and said, 'Don't do that. They may be valuable some day. Give them to me.' I couldn't believe he actually wanted them." Out of sheer frustration, Valera stopped painting for several months.

Then, some time later, he dragged out what he had painted and was surprised that they looked better to him somehow. "Very often, with watercolors," he said, "it takes time to get the complete effect. Watercolors grow into themselves. I was inspired to pick up the brush again."

Armed with a new confidence, Valera began painting an array of subjects -- flowers, nudes, animals, seascapes -- and developed a fondness for miniatures ("It's just something I wanted to do. I like the challenge"). His Marilyn Monroe miniatures began as a favor for a friend and grew into a series.

Valera was prolific in the early going, averaging a painting a day. Like with his photos, he gave them to friends and family, who gushed and enthused over his work and hung them on their walls. That encouraged him even more. He submitted some work at the juried fine art festivals in south Florida, expecting to be turned away (common for newcomers). To his surprise, he was quickly accepted.

The first show he attended, as fate would have it, was on Sept. 1, 2001. Ten days later, it seemed the whole world went inside their homes to watch television and the new war on terror. Valera's production dropped off considerably. Just now is he feeling more sure about the economy, the shows and his art.

Roberto Valera was born December 16, 1946, in Cuba. He was 14 when Castro's revolution hit, in 1961. His father was imprisoned for political crimes after being one of a group that was rounded up for trying to help other Cubans escape Communism.

"The rich had already fled," Valera said. "The middle class could escape, too, but for a price, and if they knew the right bureaucrat. Very early on, you could get out on a student visa if you were young and had money behind you. In my case, it cost my family $25,000 to get me out."

Valera, who had attended Catholic schools all his life, found himself in Wilmington, Delaware, attending the prestigious Salesianum School, which was run by priests. There, he received a quality education. From Delaware he moved with his mother to New York City, where he got a job in the mailroom at MGM Pictures. In 1966, he was drafted into the U.S. Army. Before getting into photography, and later artistry, Valera bought and sold real estate properties in south Florida.

Roberto Valera will be attending the upcoming Decor Expo show in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (Feb. 9-11, 2004, Booth #206). He will be showing almost exclusively 5" x 7" miniatures. To inquire about purchasing an original work by Mr. Valera, or a giclee reproduction, you may contact the artist directly by phone at (954) 349-8732 or fax at (954) 385-4689. His e-mail address is roberto@robertojvalera.com. You may also visit him online at www.robertojvalera.com.