LIZA VALERO
Charleston Based Artist
I am a mixed-race artist whose work is shaped by the people in my life, my connection to nature, and music. Rooted in curiosity, humor, and emotional honesty, my work reflects a belief in the power of human bonds.
PAINTINGS
I draw from a myriad of contemporary and modern inspirations such as Egon Schiele, Jennifer Packer, Mark Rothko, Ida Applebroog and Ruprecht Von Kauffmann. Through loose, gestural figurative studies and the colorful freedom of abstract expressionism, I investigate memory, presence, and the way my personal identity is built from both my own perception of the world and the people I share my life with. My paintings combine figural observation, imagined spaces, and intimate renderings of symbols dear to me. My paintings also work to draw the unseen energy forces within the subjects out through meticulous color choice and focus on body language and posing. My work slides between the fidelity of depiction and the freedom of abstraction, being very careful to render the moments I want to preserve and obscure the elements that deserve less attention. In every piece, I aim to create a sense of intimacy and uncanny familiarity through partially abstracted elements and evocative color palettes, capturing not just what is seen, but the emotional resonance beneath it. As a mixed-race artist, some of my work is also influenced by the current political climate, as that plays a major role in my identity.
2025
$1,250
Oil on Canvas
Exploring the relation between memory and grief and the unfortunate reality that the more time that passes since you last see a person, the less concrete their existence becomes. The figure (nondescript, communicating relatability to the audience) exists within a perspectively incorrect world. The paint application consumes them, having thick layers exist within areas closest to the viewer while simultaneously in places that are supposed to be receding from the viewer even though that contradicts traditional application methods. Horses are etched with charcoal sticks in a mythical style, evoking the feeling of childhood in a way that many average experiences seem mythic when viewed through the lens of a child. Adults are huge, horses can be pink, and everyone you know lives in the same neighborhood. All of these elements and more are repeated throughout the piece.
KNOW WHO I AM
2026
$1,750
Oil on Canvas
This piece calls upon a daughter’s fear of her father developing a terminal illness. However, the pain can be related to through many different walks of life and relationships. Texture, proportion and perspective distortion, symbolism, and color choice were combined to create the composition of this piece. I utalized these techniques to convey memory loss, loss of identity, grief, family, and childhood.
2026
$500 - SOLD
Oil on Canvas
Our bodies are the containers for what I describe as the ‘Infinity’. This painting depicts the experience of sharing that ‘Infinity’ with a lover. The unspoken ritual that opens a safe space for naked bodies to lay with each other. The saturation of the skin tones evokes the intense, overwhelming emotion of this experience. The figures lay in a contextualless yet layered background, showcasing how this connection feels otherworldly. The figures’ eyes are touching, yet another point of intimate connection. There is no distinctly visible sexual anatomy as the intent of this piece is not sexual. The title, “I’ll Kiss Your Elbows” is a play on the fact that the only part of your own body that you wouldn’t be able to kiss would be your own elbows.
2025
$750 - SOLD
Oil on Canvas
This piece comes from a deep place of frustration, fear, defensiveness, and pride from being made to feel like the current political climate is something that can simply “be ignored.” The choice to be apolitical is a privilege. The centerpiece, a Jaguar (disproportionately large) found in Mexican jungles, embodies defensiveness and beauty. Its endangered pattern reflects ours. The Mexican Leopard has no interest in disturbing you until you invade its space. Alongside the big cat are portraits of my father and myself. Distortion of proportion and rendering in certain areas emphasize discontentment, ambiguity, and unease. Body language and texture display that defensiveness and frustration once again. Finally, the large landscape painting in the background mimics one of my father’s, a unifying symbol of our shared persistence in art making. An icon to show we will not go silent, to reveal the softness of our souls. Despite it all, we will be gentle. We will create.
2026
$500
Oil on Canvas
This piece demonstrates the turmoil of living in a human body. The expectation of performance and the weight of perception. The colors of the furniture and walls blend the figure with the environment. The couch is shoved into the corner and moulded incorrectly to the confines of the canvas, as the figure is contorted into the cushionless couch. The composition, couch, and naked figure represent the feeling of being forced to have a body and the societal pressures that exist because of it. The mark making within the figure communicates the soul trapped within and the complicated internal structures. The figure is flushed with embarrassment. In the left corner there is a recreation of a Georgia O’Keefe painting (known for her large-scale floral paintings that many claim resemble female genitalia, despite that not being her intention). The photo is turned away from the figure, illustrating frustration over the fact that even when not desiring to, society will read a naked body as sexual.
2026
NFS
Oil on Birch Panel
In response to the nationwide attention Liam Conejo Ramos got (a case where ICE agents used a 5 year old boy as a lure to find his family members and detained him and his father) I could not help but reflect his humanhood onto my own. This piece is a depiction of my father and I when I was the same age as Liam. He is teaching me how to ride a bike. Whimsical illustrations play with the more ‘based in reality’ rendering of the figures, demonstrating my childhood innocence as well as the tender innocence my father showed me growing up. He showed me how to draw, the joy of listening to music, the beauty of creation, and the importance of having a present father. I created this piece to reflect humanity within myself, my father, Liam Ramos, and his father. Furthermore, being taught how to ride a bike is a relatable, human experience… something that many supporters of ICE would have experienced. I desire to get through to one of those people and demonstrate inherent similarities we share.
2026
$1,000
Oil on Canvas
One of the most distinct memories I have of my mother after losing her to a long battle with cancer in 2019, is traveling with her to the beach near my childhood home. As I was painting this experience I realized that without a photo I could not remember her face. The notion alone was enough to sicken me, making me averse to finishing this painting for weeks. It felt insincere to continue with my original idea, so I layered this vague, ghostly, distorted silhouette of the most that I could remember her by… the distinct mark of most cancer patients, the loss of hair. The texture of thick layers intertwined with charcoal and wax stick etchings built up throughout the piece communicates frustration, childish anger, and grief. One of the only clear memories I had with her is now forever haunted by the reality that I can’t remember her. The scale reflects the drowning feeling I experience with this.
2025
$350
Oil on Canvas
This piece draws upon famous women of art history: Manet’s Olympia, Ingres’ Grande Odalisque, Goya’s Maja, and many more. Despite status, despite personality, despite soul, these women are forever remembered in history as a man stripping her not only of her clothes, but her meaning. Boiling her down to a sexual object for their own enjoyment. Similar to these women, Vanessa is shoved into her canvas… naked, propped up and exposed for the eye of Man. However, the noticeable difference between her and those that came before is her position. While the three aforementioned women were distorted for the sexual gratification of the observer, Vanessa’s coloring and proportion have been distorted to bring discomfort to the viewer. She is being watched. She knows it, and so does the viewer, whether they want to be objectifying her or not.
2025
$500
Oil on Birch Panel
Seeing yourself through the eyes of a partner, feeling your arms the same as you feel theirs, and losing track of where your body ends and theirs begins. These are the experiences represented within this painting. The fluid, circular mark making and cohesive palette deliver these sensations formally. The figures disappear into each other as well as the background... the application of paint creating this effect. The title is a nod to musician Adrienne Lenker’s song of the same name.
2025
$750
Oil on Canvas
I have shaped my sense of self based upon my parents since I was a child. Down to choosing to carry my mother’s first name (Liza) to professing that I will never change my last name, Valero (my father’s name). This painting is a reflection of the deliberate choice to carry as much of their passion, creativity, and soul into myself and my future as I can, while weaving in elements of my own identity. I display abstracted dappled light covering the entirity of my figure, as well as interacting with the background. This represents the fleeting memory and soul of my late-mother whom I see within all elements of nature and the Earth. The overall style is inspired heavily by my father’s large scale figure paintings. I placed myself in a chair that exists within my childhood home, however outside of said home’s iconic yellow walls (designed by my father). Overall every element of the composition works to weave these aspects of identity together.
GRAPHICS
2025
Event creator, coordinator, Designer
Illustrator
2026
Organized and Curated by the Collective The Peanut Gallery.
Collective Member as Graphic Design Lead
Photography and Digital Collage on Illustrator
2025
Each of these illustrations were handmade by me and delivered as Christmas Cards to my friends and family! <3
They were then scanned and texture was later added using open source texture and notecard images.
2025
Each of these illustrations were handmade by me for the love of the cowboy (and horse... of course).
They were then scanned and texture was later added using open source texture and notecard images.
2025
Photography on a Canon EOS R7
2025
ProCreate, Illustrator, Photoshop
2025
Scanned handdrawn illustrations, ProCreate, Illustrator, Photoshop
2025
Scanned handdrawn illustrations, ProCreate, Illustrator, Photoshop.
Allie the T-Shirt Model!
2024, 2025
ProCreate, Illustrator, Photoshop
PHOTOGRAPHY
2025
Canon E7
2025
Canon E7
2026
Canon E7, Lightroom
2025
Canon E7, Lightroom, Photoshop
2025
Canon E7, Photoshop
Email: dorotheavalero@gmail.com
Instagram: @valero.lagoon
For any commission, collaboration, or general inquieries don’t hesitate to reach out! The quickest way to reach me is email or instagram (both also linked in the bottom corners of this page!)
Accepted into the New York Academy of Art SURP 2026 - Full Ride
Bachelor of Fine Arts, Clemson University, Clemson SC
Current Roles
Adobe Intern in the Clemson Makerspace, Cooper Library, Clemson University, Clemson SC
2024-Present
Typsetter for the Clemson University Press, Clemson SC
2024-Present
Creative Director for THE FIORI*, Charleston SC,
2025-Present
Art Department Student Videography Work, Clemson University, Clemson SC
Present
(upcoming)
I saw you in my Dream Last Night, Park Circle Gallery, Park Circle, North Charleston SC
2026
ARTISPHERE, Artists of the Upstate
Greenville SC
2026
BFA Exhibition, Senior Exhibition, Lee Gallery, Clemson University, Clemson SC
2026
Foundations Exhibition, Lee Gallery, Clemson University, Clemson SC
2024
Community Work
COMMUNITY COMPOSITION,
Swansons Warehouse, Greenville SC,
April 18th 2026
CANSTRUCTION Competition,
Designer and board member of DeSlac- Clemson University’s Inagural Dean Student Leadership team for the College of Architecture, Art, and Construction,
Clemson SC, 2026
Volunteer for OYE Studios
Greenville, SC
2025