Andres Valencia

Andres Valencia (b. 2011) is a California-based contemporary artist known for large, dramatic, colorful figurative paintings that are deeply influenced by Cubism. Valencia has been painting since he was five years old. He stands on a step ladder to create large-scale works with a mix of oil stick, and oil and acrylic paint, seeking to create bold colors and wildly imaginative fragmented facial compositions. Teachers involved in his California public school Visual and Performing Arts (VAPA) program quickly identified his extraordinary talent. Surrounded by art at home, Valencia is inspired by Francisco Goya, Pablo Picasso, George Condo, and Salvador Dalí.

Alexander M. Rigby is a New York Times bestselling editor at Penguin Random House. He holds an MFA from Stonecoast at the University of Southern Maine. An avid outdoorsman who enjoys hiking in the wilderness, Alexander is on a mission to visit every national park in the United States. He lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.