Unwritten Colors
“Every masterpiece begins as an unwritten page of color. I don’t paint inside the lines—I invite collectors to discover where their own colors begin.”
— Michael John Valentine
Color is one of humanity’s earliest languages. Long before we learned to write, we told stories through pigments on stone, charcoal on cave walls, and vibrant mineral colors that transformed blank surfaces into expressions of hope, memory, and imagination. Every child eventually discovers this universal language by opening a coloring book and realizing that there are no limits beyond the ones we choose to accept. The lines may already exist, but the colors belong entirely to the artist.
Unwritten Colors celebrates that same spirit of unlimited possibility.
This work is not about coloring inside predetermined boundaries. It is about abandoning them altogether. Layers of energetic movement, expressive forms, and unexpected color relationships merge into a composition that refuses to dictate a single interpretation. Instead, it encourages each collector to complete the story through personal experience.
Abstract art has always challenged viewers to become participants rather than observers. There is no obvious landscape, portrait, or still life waiting to be identified. Instead, there is rhythm, balance, tension, harmony, and emotion. Every glance reveals something different. Every room introduces new lighting. Every stage of life uncovers another meaning.
That is precisely why I continue creating abstract work after more than five decades as an artist.
When I earned my Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Kent State University, I developed a deep appreciation for both technical discipline and artistic freedom. Throughout my career, those two ideas have remained inseparable. Technique provides the foundation, but imagination gives the work its soul.
With Unwritten Colors, I intentionally leave room for discovery.
Some collectors immediately see energy exploding across the canvas. Others describe music, architecture, movement, or even memories from childhood when a fresh box of crayons represented unlimited possibilities. There are viewers who discover dozens of hidden relationships between shapes that were invisible only moments before. None of these interpretations are wrong. In fact, every one of them becomes part of the painting’s continuing story.
That conversation between artwork and collector is something no machine can manufacture and no mass-produced print can duplicate.
Every original painting represents countless creative decisions—brushstroke by brushstroke, layer by layer, color by color. Those decisions become permanently embedded within the work, creating subtle textures, variations, and depth that reward repeated viewing over many years.
For serious collectors, authenticity matters just as much as beauty.
Every original artwork from my studio is accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity (COA), documenting its place within my body of work and preserving its identity for future generations. My certificates are more than simple paperwork. They become part of the artwork’s permanent provenance.
Each Certificate of Authenticity is professionally prepared and individually matched to the artwork. It includes identifying information that links the certificate directly to the piece, helping establish authenticity, ownership, and long-term collectibility.
To further protect every original, each certificate includes a unique QR code that connects collectors directly to my official website, where the artwork can be verified as part of my permanent online catalog. As technology continues to evolve, maintaining this digital connection strengthens confidence that the work remains documented by the artist himself.
The Certificate of Authenticity is carefully packaged in a protective glassine envelope and securely attached to the reverse of the artwork before shipment. This helps ensure that the documentation remains with the piece throughout its lifetime while protecting it during handling and storage.
Collectors often tell me that they appreciate knowing the artwork’s story extends beyond the canvas itself. The painting becomes more than decoration—it becomes a documented part of an artist’s lifelong journey.
For over fifty-five years I have pursued that journey with the same curiosity that first inspired me to pick up a brush. Styles evolve. Techniques change. New inspirations appear. Yet the purpose remains constant: to create work that invites people to slow down, look closer, and discover something unexpected.
That is the essence of Unwritten Colors.
No two viewers will ever finish this painting in exactly the same way because every life is colored by different experiences, memories, dreams, and aspirations. The artwork simply provides the invitation.
The rest of the colors belong to you.
As the original artist, it is my privilege to begin the conversation. As the collector, it becomes your privilege to continue it for years to come. Long after the final brushstroke has dried, Unwritten Colors remains unfinished—not because anything is missing, but because every collector adds another chapter simply by living with it.
The canvas may be complete.
Its story is still being written.
