Pleasure in the Process Self-taught local teen breaks into art community

by Ally Gallagher

Tanner Valant is on his way to making a splash in the art world. At just 18, Valant is a recent graduate of Air Academy High School in Colorado Springs. This young man is focused on his post-graduation plans, like many of his classmates. But unlike most of them, Valant will pack his bags and move to Chicago to attend the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC). He intends to major in studio art with an emphasis in drawing; his path to SAIC started during the pandemic in 2020.

Tanner Valant is on his way to making a splash in the art world. At just 18, Valant is a recent graduate of Air Academy High School in Colorado Springs. This young man is focused on his post-graduation plans, like many of his classmates. But unlike most of them, Valant will pack his bags and move to Chicago to attend the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC). He intends to major in studio art with an emphasis in drawing; his path to SAIC started during the pandemic in 2020.

“I’ve done art my whole life; I’ve taken art classes but nothing super serious,” says Valant. “And around the start of COVID is when I started drawing by myself, just because I had a lot of free time on my hands.”

“Over the next three years, I taught myself my style and just kept working on it.”

Using mainly colored pencil, white ink, and charcoal, Valant teaches himself by trial and error. Inspired by other artists on social media, he created his own Instagram page (@tannervalant) to publish his work and show his progress.

Artists like CJ Hendry (@cj_hendry) drew Valant to hyperrealism, a genre of art designed to resemble high-resolution photography. He began focusing on hyperrealism with his own twist: adding texture.

“With hyperrealism, it’s very easy to see an object and just copy it, because you have your reference,” Valant says. “I think to bridge the gap between basic hyperrealism and abstract art you have to incorporate different elements. And for me that was experimenting with different textures.”

Valant’s take on hyperrealism is already being noticed in the art community. His work was featured in October 2022 at Kreuser Gallery in Colorado Springs; he is currently preparing for a July 22 show at Abend Gallery in Denver.

Some of the pieces in Valant’s previous show displayed his drawings of hands and flowers. When those pieces received the best reaction from art enthusiasts, he decided to further explore the style. It’s become the core of his new show, titled “Duality,” to exhibit the contrast between the human hand and nature’s flora.

“The hand is very mysterious, kind of ominous, and the flower is innocent and light,” Valant says. “And I think the interaction between the two really just pulls the

“Hands are how we do everything. We create with our hands; we interact with other people with our hands. And it’s a very universal symbol of people and connecting in general.”

Valant’s goal for his art is to connect with people and let them form their own relationship with the piece. Not only does the reflective black “drip effect” on the hands provide a new texture and element of mystery, it is also meant to bring the viewer a deeper

“I can see myself in the reflections sometimes, so I want for other people to feel that too,” says Valant. “It looks like it’s actually reflective, so they see themselves in the hands, and they see their personality interacting with the flowers.” https://tannervalantart.com/

Each piece takes two to four weeks to complete, with Valant spending the majority of each day on his art. Most pieces are 22 inches long by 30 inches tall, with a few recent pieces as large as 30 by 40 inches.

Valant’s dream is to take his art career as far as he can, pursuing new galleries, collectors, brands, and material media. In the meantime, he’s finding pleasure in the process.

“I enjoy every second of it,” he says.