Chris Valentine is an artist & illustrator from Johannesburg. His interest in image making began at a young age, with obsessive sketches of Asterix & Obelix, comic book superheroes and with the making of action figures from paper, cardboard and whatever else he could find.

After matric, Valentine worked as a graphic design intern, producing branding material, album covers and artwork, leading to his decision to go freelance in 2010.

This freedom allowed Valentine to focus more on his fine art, which explores classical and contemporary painting through the lens of urban culture. Valentine is establishing a solid following for his bold portraits through which he questions the formation of identity in the age of the internet. Inspired by old and contemporary Masters alike, from Velázquez and Sargent to James Jean and Phil Hale, Valentine typically uses the vast 'scape of the internet to find inspiration.