The Story Behind the Art
About Vania Valdo
A journey shaped by family, courage, color, and an unexpected invitation to Paris.
From Orthodontics to Art
About Vania Valdo
My name is Vania Valdo. I was born in São Paulo, Brazil, in 1959 and now live in Orlando, Florida. My first career was as an orthodontist, a profession I loved for more than 35 years. It gave me strong manual skills and a precise eye for shapes, contours, and facial harmony.
I moved to the United States in 2017. Because I could no longer work as an orthodontist, I devoted more time to developing my artistic skills. Art entered my professional life in my fifties, but the story behind that journey began with my father and remains at the heart of everything I create.
Here is the story. Believe it or not.
Do You Like My Paintings?
You may love them even more after hearing the story behind them.
My father, who was my hero, introduced me to the world of art. In 2007, while we were drinking our favorite cinnamon tea, he invited me to attend painting classes with him. I had never painted before, or even spent much time drawing. My only goal was to spend more time with my father.
Can you imagine?
Art entered my life the way music enters the soul. I became completely absorbed by brushes and paint. Soon, people began responding to my work with more admiration and praise than I ever expected.
An Unexpected Door Opens
The Curator
One day, an artist who saw my work suggested that I show it to a curator. At the time, I did not even understand what a curator did. I hesitated, but several months later I submitted my paintings to the curator she recommended. I later learned that she was one of Brazil’s most respected curators, Carmem Pousada.
To my surprise, she praised my work. As we shared cinnamon tea, she explained that she might have a remarkable opportunity for me, although the final decision would belong to curators connected with the Louvre. I had never imagined exhibiting or selling a painting, and suddenly I was being considered for an exhibition in Paris.
Can you imagine?
Paris, 2013
The Louvre
I tried not to build expectations, but an official letter eventually arrived confirming that I had been selected to participate in the Carrousel du Louvre in 2013. The experience was beyond anything I had imagined.
Can you imagine?
I left the curator’s office with trembling legs and could hardly drive home. The first person I wanted to tell was my father, but sadly he was no longer with us. The invitation felt like a gift connected to the moment when he first brought art into my life.
My first invitation to exhibit my work was at the Carrousel du Louvre.
A New Life in Art
The same curator included my paintings in two additional European exhibitions soon afterward, in Bratislava, Slovakia, and Prague, Czech Republic. Within only three months, my work appeared in three international exhibitions.
Art became deeply rooted in me. Whether I work with canvas, brushes, paint, thread, or fiber, I draw from lived moments and reinterpret them through the eyes of my soul.
Within a year, my work had appeared in more exhibitions and places around the world than I had ever imagined.
My Goals
After receiving recognition in the United States for my special abilities in art and later becoming a U.S. citizen, I became even more committed to challenging myself creatively. I am self-taught and continue learning new techniques, experimenting with different media, and creating from the experiences that shape my life.
I want to continue sharing my work around the world. My goal is to influence viewers in a positive way, creating a sense of pleasure, vitality, and joy through color, texture, movement, and meaning. I also enjoy teaching art and sharing what I have learned with others.
My Approach
I paint what I see and what I feel. Each work carries a story or reflects something happening in my life. I seek a balance between meaning and the harmony of colors.
What I love most is seeing a viewer pause in front of a piece and begin forming a personal connection with it. In that moment, my story becomes part of theirs.