Drive Through Art Show Virtual Tour

"Untitled" by Valencia Ruprecht
Graphite Pencil with color added digitally 11” x 14”

Artist Statement

Hello, my name is Valencia Ruprecht. I am 22 years old and a student at the St Cloud Technical and Community College and a mentor in Portable Vision.

My piece doesn’t have a title. It is on 60 pound sketch paper, dimensions 11” by 14”, drawn with graphite pencil and then I digitally added color in the program Clip Studio Paint. The picture represents the empty foundation I’ve lived on, a dead leaf sitting on the ground carrying my shadow. The landscape is barren of life and anywhere to go, and in it I’m just holding onto a piece of dead life that used to be part of a thriving tree but so no longer connected to any reality.I thought my future was in this place I’ve faithfully stayed for a long time, but I want to move on to somewhere that’s still alive and has people and love in it. This is my current spiritual journey- detaching from my old system of religion and practice.

Being a mentor is hard because of insecurity in identity and ability, but I think it awakened a desire to teach and help others in their creative journeys. I can foresee helping learners figure out storytelling and teaching the basics of animation! That would be really fun. I’d love to see people’s storytelling skills thrive into works of art!

Oral Statement