“A title to art is sometimes tied to how many times it took to get it right.”
— Michael John Valentine
Pastel Abstract Painting Number 38: A Collector’s Narrative
In the realm of contemporary abstract art, few works embody the quiet triumph of creative perseverance quite like Pastel Abstract Painting Number 38 by Michael John Valentine. This distinguished piece—available as anything from a 4-inch round peel-and-stick decal to a sweeping 38″×56″ overpainted canvas—marks a significant milestone in Valentine’s expansive abstract catalogue.
Valentine’s evocative maxim opening this discourse isn’t just a phrase—it’s a philosophy. Behind every lush field of pastel, every deliberate stroke, and every delicately composed hue lies a journey of repetition, refinement, and self-discovery. For Valentine, a work’s title becomes inseparable from the countless decisions that shaped its making, from the first unsteady mark to the moment the composition finally sang with resonance. This reflection speaks directly to the heart of abstraction: a balance between intention and intuition, where knowing when it’s right becomes an art in and of itself.
At first glance, Pastel Abstract Painting Number 38 entrances the viewer with a harmonious chorus of color: soft yet vibrant pastels that ebb and flow across the surface, engaging both the eye and the imagination. It’s a work that resists literal interpretation—there are no figures or explicit landscapes—but invites a personal, introspective response. The luminous pastels unfold like layers of memory or emotion, gently suggesting movement and breath, while the medium itself—acrylic on canvas, overpainted with careful attention—reveals subtle textures that reward close observation.
Technique and Materiality
True to Valentine’s broader practice, this piece manifests his mastery of mixed media abstraction—a synthesis of photographic origin, acrylic layering, and painterly overpainting that has defined his work for more than five decades. Each canvas from Valentine’s studio begins with a foundation rooted in his original photography and compositional instincts, which are then translated into the language of paint. Through multiple layers of brush, knife, and glaze, the work evolves from image to abstraction in a process both cerebral and visceral.
Though Pastel Abstract Painting Number 38 may at first feel ethereal in its palette, there is structure beneath the surface. Pastel tones are orchestrated with an eye toward rhythm—a visual cadence that carries the viewer from one relationship of color to the next. In each layer, there is evidence of Valentine’s disciplined exploration: colors that seem almost accidental at a distance are revealed up close as deliberate dialogues between warm and cool, light and shadow, chaos and calm. This tension of opposites is at the core of his abstract lexicon.
Presentation and Collector Experience
Collectors are offered this piece in multiple formats, an intentional choice that opens access to a wide range of interiors and design approaches. Whether one chooses the intimate matte print, the immersive gallery-grade canvas, or even the adventurous 38″×56″ original, the impact remains powerful. Each format is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity—a hallmark of Valentine’s commitment to provenance and collector confidence.
For the original canvas, the painting arrives unstretched, rolled in a protective sleeve and tube, allowing the collector to commission bespoke framing that best reflects their space and vision. This underscores not just the work’s adaptability but its integration into the lived world of the viewer—a dialogue between object and observer, space and psyche.
Context within the Artist’s Oeuvre
Pastel Abstract Painting Number 38 resides within a larger corpus of Valentine’s abstract explorations—works characterized by dynamic motion, layered complexity, and emotional resonance. In this series, Valentine continues his exploration of pastel and acrylic media, where each piece not only stands alone but also converses with its siblings in rhythm, tone, and intention. These are not decorative pieces but statements—investments in process, presence, and perception.
Valentine’s abstract works often blur the line between visual poetry and emotional cartography. The use of pastel—traditionally associated with softness and immediacy—here becomes a vehicle for complexity: soft hues that belie underlying tensions of form and gesture. In this way, the painting becomes both a meditation and a conversation—a provocation to linger, respond, and reflect.
Critical Reflection on the Creative Process
The title of the work—Number 38—speaks not to sequence alone but to the iterative nature of creation itself. In Valentine’s philosophy, a title can be deeply entwined with the unseen labor of trial and adjustment: the iterations that didn’t succeed, the compositions that refused to cohere until something clicked, the countless decisions that cumulatively define a finished work. This insight transforms how we understand the piece—not as a single object but as the culmination of countless micro-moments of decision, hesitation, and finally, resolution.
This connection between title and process is a remarkable meditation on what it means to create art: an embrace of persistence over perfection, and of failure as an integral part of discovery. “A title to art is sometimes tied to how many times it took to get it right,” he reminds us. In Pastel Abstract Painting Number 38, that sentiment is both literal and philosophical—a testament to the trials, triumphs, and quiet revolutions that each new canvas brings.
In Conclusion
As a collector’s piece, Pastel Abstract Painting Number 38 stands as more than a decorative object—it is a chronicle of creative resolve, a visual expression of an artist’s lifelong pursuit of balance between form and feeling. This is an artwork to engage with again and again, where each viewing reveals new depths, dialogues, and reflections. For collectors with a discerning eye and a passion for contemporary abstract art, this piece is a threshold into Valentine’s continual quest to get it right—over and over until the work finally speaks.
