By: Ethan & Connie Cao

Andres Valencia is a 10-year-old boy who lives in New York and has a hobby of becoming an artist. Ideas come rushing through his head daily as he listens to the news of different conflicts. One painting that emerged from these ideas is Invasion of Ukraine. “In the top left corner of the drawing, a single eye cries onto a Ukrainian flag. In the center, a menacing soldier with a Russian flag armband clutches a machine gun” (SMITHSONIAN).

His mother, Elsa Valencia, is very passionate about and proud of her son’s work. Andres would not let himself hide behind walls, so he decided to show his work to the public. Many people bought his paintings. Some were purchased for $20,000, some were for $100,000. He says,” I’m so happy to sell my paintings.”

“I paint in little pieces,” Andres tells the New York Post. “I work on it for an hour or two. Then I do something else. I come back to it the next day and keep adding more.” Andres has been a massive fan of Piccaso since he was young and till this day. He learns all these exciting things from watching/reading the news.

He tells everyone, “my painting is telling a story that can never be forgotten.” Later on, Andres had to a solo exhibition at New York’s Chase Contemporary gallery. He saw his very own paintings and a lot of people taking interest in his paintings.