Quinn Valentine
Artist / Illustrator / Painter
Santa Rosa, CA
qvtine.carrd.co
instagram @satans_fluffer
twitter @softsatanic
Q What do you do?
“I take inspiration from folklore about demons, witchcraft and magic to create drawings and paintings with a twist.”
I like poking at the transphobic, queerphobic elements tied to the satanic and flipping them on their head into something new that compels me. My work includes infernal icons, paintings and zines.
Q What steps did you take to get to where you are now?
I have been drawing for as long as I can remember. Much encouragement has come from art teachers over the years and led to me getting my art degree at Sonoma State. The witchcraft angle came in over time. I found that occult art, medieval woodcuts of witches sabbaths and tarot were rich with imagery and symbolism that I could pull from. A figure who became central to my work is the Devil. The Romantic and Decadent revision of Lucifer as a revolutionary figure and rebel of conservative Christian social norms. Frustrated by the lack of finding a queer narrative for this I became determined to carve out my own path.
Q How do you stand out in your field?
I am inventive in my building of ideas and connect all sorts of different strands into new concepts and forms. My work centers on queer and trans bodies representing power, magic, rebel angels and infernal saints. It is vibrant, weird, loving and often fun. Marrying seemingly opposites as colorfully as I do is a talent I have spent many years honing in my craft.
Q What are you working on right now?
A satanic icon series, inspired by the gilded Byzantine icons but of various demons instead of Mary or angels. My goals are to represent queer bodies as holy rebels; whose power is worthy of being memorialized on the same golden backgrounds as the saints. I want my friends to see themselves in this work, to see the trans, black, disabled, and fat bodies like their own and see that perhaps not fitting into the mold of what their Christian upbringing wanted is a good thing.
Q What’s your style?
My style is vibrant and often centered on figures; with a range from line drawings of dancing anthropomorphic spirits to lovingly rendered paintings of queer devils. All my figures tend to carry visual references to transness, like chest scars, or fatness, like stretch marks. I also tend to includes references to magical symbols and objects depending on the visual narrative I am creating.
Q Out of all your slashies, which one do you wish you could do more often?
Illustration with a narrative focus.
Q What is frustrating you right now?
Finding who my work appeals to and wants to hire me BECAUSE of what I do.
Q If you could hire someone for $20/hour, what would you have them do to make your day easier?
Job hunting, sifting through listings to find who actually know the difference between graphic design and illustration is exhausting.
Q What do you wish you could have told yourself, when, and why?
The more you draw for yourself the more people will like your work. I knew that going into college but had I stuck to it I think I would’ve been happier.
Q If you could talk to an expert to gain more insight on something, what would it be about?
Finding work! Where do I find the people who will hire me to make art for them and how does working as an illustrator…work?
Q What kind of opportunities/projects are you looking for?
Freelance, part time and full time. Let me paint or draw something for you, your books, your blogs, your tarot cards, your albums, your games.
Q Describe your ideal job/client/collaboration.
Right now I’d love to do illustration work. Ideally my client loves what I’m about and will give me a decent amount of freedom for the project. I’d love to do occult or fantasy related art, as well as nature or queer centered work.
Q How should someone approach you about working together?
My longtime teacher and friend, Emily Martin, @mega_moth on Instagram. She taught me art from when I was 12 years old to college. She’s always game for my ideas and helping me bring them to reality. She’s smart, knowledgeable and a brilliant artist.
Q Who is a creative you admire?
By email or pm. Include who you are, what you do, what you’re looking for in your project or idea and what your budget is. Your own blog, socials or website is also a big plus so I can get a glimpse of who you are.
Q Oh! and… how do you stay creative?
Art museums and Pinterest. Other artists on Instagram.
This member profile was originally published in September 2021.