Bella Toscana Press Release

The upcoming October 2009 show at the 443gallery features the oil paintings and mixed media art of Debra Valenti-Epstein.  Entitled "Bella Toscana", the show opens at noon on Saturday, October 10 at 443 Green Lane, Philadelphia.  Opening weekend hours coincide with the Philadelphia Open Studio Tour (POST) weekend from 12 to 6 on both Saturday and Sunday, October 11. Tuscany wines and traditional antipasti will be served at the Saturday opening.

"Bella Toscana" was inspired by the artist's many trips to Tuscany.  The exhibition is composed of original paintings, enhanced reproductions, and painted photographs, as well as functional art calendars, boxes, and mugs.

"Bella Toscana" depicts the terracotta rooftops, sweeping scenic landscapes, vineyards, olive groves, and hilltop town life of the Tuscany region, incorporating elements of the cities of Pisa, Lucca, Sienna, and Firenze, with the small town wonders of San Gimignano and Roccatederrighi.

Along with fellow artists John J. Hagarty and Colleen D. Gjefle, Valenti-Epstein is a co-owner of the 443gallery, which boasts a diverse collection of both local and international artists.  Valenti-Epstein has exhibited at the Manayunk Art Center (MAC) as a co-op member since 2005, as the featured artist for her "Transitions" Lacemaker Adventures© show in 2007, and was selected as a 2009 juried show participant.

A current practicing attorney with the Roxborough Law Office, Valenti-Epstein returned to the study and creation of art after a 25-year hiatus. During her childhood, she took numerous art classes at the Manayunk Art Center (MAC).  As a senior at Roxborough High School, she won the outstanding artist award from MAC for her life-sized sculptures and paintings with an Alice in Wonderland theme, and was honored with a show as featured artist. “I never would have attended any college had it not been for studying art as an art major in high school,” says Valenti-Epstein.

A 1976 graduate of the University of the Arts with a B.F.A.in Graphic Design and minor in art education, Valenti-Epstein worked freelance for several years while pursuing other academic interests.  Valenti-Epstein launched a career path that she half-jokingly refers to as “a bit schizoid”, adding with a laugh, “my career is not a logical progression, but a snowball that grows.”  Simultaneously with her B.F.A, she earned a B.S. in Psychology from Chestnut Hill College and then entered an M.S. program in Experimental Psychology at Villanova University on a full tuition merit scholarship, graduating in 1980 as a member of Psi Chi Honor Society.   Foreshadowing an inevitable return to art, her Master's thesis was the development of a Visual Arts Creativity Test.

Valenti-Epstein parlayed those qualifications over the next fifteen years into a series of careers in, or in conjunction with, city government including personnel analyst and sole proprietor of a city zoning and building permit service, also designing and drafting plans for custom built homes. 

Personality tests, however, kept identifying "attorney" as an occupation suited to her talents and inclinations. Accordingly, Valenti-Epstein became a 1992 Dean's List graduate of the Temple University School of Law and recipient of awards including Trial Advocacy, Jurisprudence, and TASA.  Valenti-Epstein has been a partner at the Roxborough Law Office, LLP since 1995.

In 2000, with all four of her children in school, Valenti-Epstein returned to her early passion because “I missed the creative process.” She started painting again, and became involved as a volunteer at MAC.  As president of the Board of Directors, she and law partner John Hagarty raised substantial funds and revived the Manayunk Art Center, which had been in a period of decline.  In 2005, she co-founded the Manayunk Artists’ Co-Op and currently serves as Board Member Emeritus.

Valenti-Epstein employs many of the diverse artistic styles she had absorbed as a student. “When I paint I hear the voices of all of my art teachers, one advising, ‘try different angles,’ another urging me to 'go further', and another instructing  me to 'vary the edges of objects'.  I learned so much from their very different approaches that the voices in my head get very noisy as the painting progresses.”

Similarly, Valenti-Epstein absorbed the techniques of very diverse artists about color from Peter Max and Wolf Kahn, ideas on presentation from Andy Warhol, landscapes from Homer Winslow, and portraits from Rembrandt.

Throughout her career, Valenti-Epstein attributes her art education with propelling her successes.  Her ability to think in a nonlinear and creative fashion was born from her early study of art.

“Bella Toscana” exhibition runs through December 2009. In addition to the opening weekend in October, the gallery is open by appointment. For further information, visit www.443gallery.com, or contact the gallery at  info@443gallery.com or 215 483 5601.

Painting a Tuscany scene from the pool deck at Pieve di Caminino 2007
(pictured are Debra Valenti-Epstein & John J. Hagarty