Taylor Ana Valdez (b.1994) is a self-taught artist and healer, whose meditative exploration into worlds beyond, heavily influence her painting practice. Following an upbringing in the Bahamas, Spain, and the American West, Valdez studied Architecture at the Academy of Art in San Francisco and Motion Picture Production at KD Conservatory in Dallas, TX. She came to oil painting while living in Santa Fe in 2021, where she shadowed William Acheff in his home studio, and later mentored with Christopher Remmers, a painter known for his mastery of mythology, form, and illusion. Valdez also works as a guide for wilderness rites of passages, a guided, meditative journey of healing and self-discovery. This practice is critical to her work, where she keeps initiatory experiences alive in a culture that lacks soul-centric rites of passages and ceremonies. Valdez’s work in initiatory rites and cultural bridging is a big influence in her art.

Taylor had her first solo exhibition, In The Palm of Her Hand, in September 2023 at A Very Serious Gallery in Chicago. The show opened on September 15th, 2023 and ran through October 14th, 2023.