Juan Carlos Valverde Solis
Showing an interest in arts as a child, Costa Rican artist Juan Carlos Valverde spent many of his childhood afternoons canvassing red-dirt roads for materials like clay and Poró wood to create all types of figures and shapes, spending days crafting small cars and other toys. In his early adult life he came to realize that studying visual arts was his driving force. After obtaining a degree in fine arts from the University of Costa Rica, Valverde travelled to Spain and Finland, where he studied further, created works, and exhibits. Valverde is a well-rounded art designer making furniture, murals, pottery, and stages for dance groups. With a hobby in agriculture, he finds ways to cultivate those features within his art, such as using coffee beans in his sculptures. "My inspiration is gathered from life experience and very deep human emotions," he tells us.