Tuesday, July 1
Native Paducahan Matt Valentine returned to his homeland in February 2006 after quite a colorful few years. These days, when he's not mixing drinks at the Harrah's VIP Diamond Lounge, he expresses himself through his beautiful artwork. Check him out firsthand at his reception, 6:30-9:30 p.m., Tuesday, July 1, Etcetera Coffeehouse, 320 North 6th St. And wish him a happy birthday. He turns 36 on July 5.Matt Valentine, you are cute, cute, cute, no doubt about it! So you graduated from Heath High School in 1990, went to WKCTC for a while and then joined the military?
Yes, that's about right.I wanted to get out and see the world, so I joined the Air Force. Plus they offer excellent education benefits. I knew I needed to finance my college, so I got on the GI Bill. I later earned my degree in visual communication from Highline College, a division of the University of Washington.
Oh, that sounds very sexy. The Air Force part, I mean. Did you have a Top Gun name like Goose or Maverick? Or Super Hot Bald Guy?
No, no. I was an Air Force security forces specialist. Our job was to protect military assets, like aircraft and nuclear missiles. It sounds a lot cooler than it actually was. Mostly we were sitting around waiting for something to happen.
Did anything ever happen?
Not really. I decided to be happy instead of secure, so I got out. I was just tired of moving around and not having control over myself or my destiny. I don't really like talking about the Air Force. Can we talk about something else?
Matt Valentine, we can talk about anything you want! Hum. How about, how long have you been a painter?I guess I've always been an artist. I remember in grade school, all the teachers would send reports home on "Matt's artistic ability." So I remember thinking, even when I was young, "I guess I'm an artist, then."
My high school art teacher was a big influence. I was trying realism then, trying to make everything I drew look photographic. She taught me how to stylize what I drew and we talked about the subject matter I picked. So I started doing non-realism kinds of subjects. After high school, I forgot about art for eight or nine years.
What brought you back to it?
When I went back to college, I had a very inspiring instructor who was a water colorist. We got to be good friends, and we'd talk about art and life. I just gravitated back toward it.
So you have this great show coming up at 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, July 1, at Etcetera. How often do you paint?It hits me in spurts. Sometimes when I'm very inspired, I might do two or three paintings a week — and then it might be five or six weeks before I do another one. It's difficult to keep the ball rolling sometimes. That's the manic/depressive side of me. When I'm manic, I can do seven paintings a week. When I'm not, I don't want to see a paintbrush for a few months.
Wow! You must have had some kind of mania going on because these paintings are gorgeous!
I think I have a nice body of work now. It's all abstract expressionism.
What do you want people to take away from the show?
What I don't want people to do is go up to a painting and look at it and say, "What's that?" My paintings are not about any one particular thing. I want them to walk away from a painting feeling something or understanding how I felt when I was painting it or interpreting it in a way that means something to them.
Got it! What do you do when you're not painting?I'm a bartender in the VIP Diamond Lounge at Harrah's.
How fun!
Yeah, I get to meet many interesting people. And I'm just amazed by the amount of money people feed into machines, lose it all and come back and tell me about it.
Are you ever tempted yourself?
I can't. As a Harrah's employee, I'm not allowed to gamble at the property. I can gamble at other Harrah's, but not this one.
Any tips?
If I were to gamble, I'd play roulette and bet red or black. At least you have a 50/50 chance of winning, which is better odds than what you get doing other things. So you're either there for seven minutes or seven hours depending on your luck.
Dude, not me. I can't stand to misplace a quarter let alone just watch it all go. Think of the shoes!
My advice: If you win more than you walked in with, run screaming out the front door with the winnings under your hat!
Matt Valentine, you are so cute. Tell us about your love life.
I've been married twice.
Well, that's not surprising. You're darling! Who were the lucky gals?
My first wife was a high school sweetheart. When I got sent to England through the Air Force, we got married so that she could come over and be with me. Later, I was sent to Montana. That's where she decided she didn't want to be married anymore.
Bummer.
We were married for two years. But we're a lot better friends now. She lives in Oregon.
And wife No. 2?We met in Montana after the divorce. It was her first night as a server at Club Cigar. I kept forgetting her name, so I'd just say, "Serving Wench, bring me more ale." She thought that was funny. But it took some convincing.
Wow. Really? She must have had a very good sense of humor!
Well, I didn't call her that, you know, every day. We were married for about six and a half years. We have a little girl, Hailey Korinn Valentine. She'll be in the third grade this fall, and she's absolutely beautiful. She lives with her mom in Montana mostly and spends summers with me. She's here now, actually. She's going to be at my show.
Oh good, we can meet her then! I can tell that you're excited about this show.
I am. Art is therapy for me. When I started painting again, it was just my way of painting how angry and hurt and desolate I was after my second divorce. As time goes on, you start to see the paintings progress. You start seeing more color and variation — that maybe I've gotten past the funk I was in, and now I'm in a better spot than I was when I first got here. Which I am. I'm in a better state of mind now.
Before, I never thought things happened for a reason. But I do now. All those things had to happen for me so that I could get here now and fulfill my dream of having a gallery show.
Your two marriages, you mean?
Yeah. Everything that has happened to me has led me to be who I am now.
So would you consider a third trip to the altar?As of right now, I'm not planning to get married again. I'm not opposed to a committed relationship, but not marriage. Marriage and shorts. I don't look good in shorts. I'm not doing either one any more.
But you're open to wearing pants and dating?
You know, I take the opportunity whenever it comes along. Essentially, if I meet someone and we kinda gel together, we might meet for lunch or drinks as our first encounter. If we like that, then we progress to dinner. Progressing from lunch to dinner means something to me. Dinner is a big step.
Matt! You've been married twice and dinner is a big step?
I'm a complete goof. I know I'm a goof and I'm fairly comfortable in my own goof-osity. What you see is what you get. I'm no different in my living room than I am at work or at someone's house or if you invite me to your church and eventually don't invite me back.
Hah! Goof-osity is good, no doubt! What kind of gal are you looking for?
I like tattoos. I don't know why. It's one of those odd things I like about women. I like rockabilly 1940s pin-up girls.
You should date the Melt Down Town Derby Dames! They hang out at Etcetera!
I know. I'm looking for them! I also like the blonde angelic girls next door. And everything in between.
Rock on! And you have tattoos?
I have three. I want more.
Of what?
I'm very much into symbols — the Earth, air, fire and water. Things in nature and cycles of the universe where everything all comes together. Anything like that.
Well, please don't tattoo your head. Your head is so cute. How long have you been bald?
There was a Halloween contest at work about five years ago, so I shaved my head to be a vampire. I shaved all my hair off, put in the contact lenses and the teeth and wore the cape and all that.
Did you win?
I lost to a girl who made a Pocahontas costume out of grocery bags. I shave my flippin' head and she puts grocery bags together and wins $100.
You were robbed!
I was totally robbed.
By a woman wearing grocery bags!
By a woman wearing grocery bags.
Do women rub their hands all over your head?Oh yeah. And I have people rub my head at work for good luck, too, like I'm some kind of Buddha or something.
Well, maybe it will come in handy for wife No. 3?
No way! Women will marry men in hopes of changing them and men will marry women hoping that the women never change. He wants the woman he met. That's the woman he fell in love with, and that's the one he wants to keep.
Well, Matt Valentine, why would anyone want to change you? Now come here and let me rub your head.
