Meet Leander “Lee Valentine” Jones

We recently connected with Leander “Lee Valentine” Jones and have shared our conversation below.

Leander “Lee Valentine”, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?

I didn’t.
Its been finding me my whole life.

I’ve always been drawn to drawing. Even as a kid it was second nature. It was the one thing that never felt forced. For the longest time I treated it like a hobby. Something I did when I had time or was bored or when life slowed down enough for me to breathe. But the truth is, art has ALWAYS been the one constant.
The one thing that stayed when everything and everyone else changed,
It was there for me when I was happy, had my heart broken, when I was lost, when I ain’t know who I was becoming. Arts been my language when I didn’t have the words to speak. What would start as sketches and colors on a page turned into therapy, into expression, and into identity, Over time I realized that it wasn’t something I just do but was something I am.

Finding my purpose didn’t come from a big moment but from the small ones that stacked over time. The late nights when I was exhausted but I STILL had to paint because something in me refused to stay quiet. Folks getting emotional over a piece of mine they saw or sending me messages saying how they felt when they saw it,
Those moments there showed me what purpose actually feels like,
When your passion starts serving others not just you.

January 5th, 2023 was when I lost my job I was with for going on almost 4 years.
That’s when I became a full time artist.
All I knew was rent was due and I had to eat.
I painted like my life depended on it because in a whole lotta ways it did.

It was never JUST a hobby,

It was, and still is, my survival.

It was, and still is, my therapy,

It was, and still, is how I keep myself from disappearing.

I found my purpose by REFUSING to let the world tell me that my art ain’t enough,
And over time, the world started to say “Actually…..this matters.”

It started with people connecting to my work on a personal level like crying when I hand them their completed commission. DM’ing me to say how much they love my work, or something they berried in themselves. Then came bigger milestones that felt like spiritual checkpoints:

Back in may of 2024 I did this MASSIVE 12 x 14 foot mural at Graybo’s Sports Cards in Downtown Richmond, Virginia.
Graybo’s Sports Cards & Parlay is a sports bar and collectible card shop that’s literally half card shop and have lounge, co-founded by Duke Dodson (who also runs Dodson Companies). Duke’s been a huge supporter of my work and gave me one of my biggest opportunities. I worked my ass off on that wall too. I’d walk out covered in paint, hands trembling, body shot and sleep deprived just wondering if anyone would even notice the details that I obsessed over.
At their grand opening I watched people stop, pointing at it, smiling, taking selfies with my work I spent 2 weeks on.

MY work!

That’s when it hit me.

This thing I do.

It connects people beyond what’s on a canvas.

Last October I stepped out of my comfort zone and did the Stafford Arts Festival, which most folks will say was a bust overall due to poor marketing, disorganized, and just a bit of chaos all around. But for me it was SO dope. I managed to actually make a little money that weekend and the people who stopped by my setup really connected with the stories behind my work, I even ended up selling my favorite painting “The Three Faces of Toxic Love Starts with the Reflection Within,” which had won 1st place at the Potomac River Regional Art Competition the year before. Seeing that painting go to someone who understood it, who felt what I felt when I made it, made the whole experience worth it,.
A month later, a friend and fellow artist convinced me to be a vendor at the DC Pancakes & Booze Pop-Up Art Show and THAT was another kind of magic right there! The energy was dope! And like, being surrounded by that many creatives reminded me why I do this in the first place.

It was about showing up, being seen, and letting yopur work speak for itself!

Another defining moment that still make me pause was back in April this year at the Virginia Beach Vibe Check festival, and I am not exaggerating when I say a time was had! I My mother was recovering from a life altering injury and it was close to my birthday. I wasn’t in a celebratory mood or anything with all that my family was going through, but a friend of mine convinced me to come down to Virginia Beach for the weekend for the festival. Waka Flocka Flame was headlining and I was like “Lemme paint a portrait of him and see if I could get it to him or something,”
So I did,
Me putting the finishing touches on the piece caused my friend and I to get to to the festival late.
The crowd was thick and it was tough to even get remotely close to the stage to get it to him.
I just knew I wasn’t going to be able to and started thinking “Damn this was a missed opportunity.”
We got as close to the stage as possible but were still so far away for him to notice me until I held the portrait as high as i could. I use mostly neon and fluorescent paints in all my works and once the stage lights hit my painting that baby was glowing SO bright!
He Immediately saw it and had the crowd make room for me to get through to bring it to him. I was pulled from the crowd and brought on stage to hand my painting personally to Waka Flocka. I just remember holding that canvas, my heart pounding, and shaking a bit not because he’s famous or anything but because in that moment, in front of all those people I was thinking about every single late night I’d paint in silence wondering if this would ever pay off or if it even matters. It felt like in that moment, at a festival I just the day before was second guessing even going to, all the nights I questioned this path I’m on is worth it or not….got answered,

You can’t plan moments like that. They remind you that everything you pour into your craft has been and is worth it.

And then came my Vibrant Visions exhibit at the Cultural Arts Center at Glen Allen that ran from this past July through September. It was my first exhibit ever and a core memory etched into my mind and heart that will stay with me forever! It was the very first time that both of my sisters and my mom were able to attend one of my shows together.
Seeing them walk through the gallery, stop in front of one of my paintings and take it all in meant everything to me.
It won’t about sales or exposure or anything like that. It was about my biggest day-one supporters, my family, my mom, my sisters and my 7 year old niece finally getting a glimpse at what I’ve been building all this time. That night it felt like purpose looking back at me and saying “This is why.” That night was 5 year old me being told “You did good.”

That’s what purpose feels like, It ain’t the recognition it’s about connection,
It’s about taking everything I been though and turning it into something real and something someone else can look at and say “I feel that”
What matters most to me ain’t the big names or milestones, likes or shares or anything, its the folks who see themselves in my art. I’ve had people cry, laugh, or just stand there in silence because something in the piece speaks to them. And that’s what keeps me going.

I want as many people as possible to see my work.
To have my work.
From big names to everyday people and everyone else in between you name it.
Each painting I make is a piece of me and I want to share myself with the world.

If money wasn’t a thing I honestly would do this for free for the rest of my life if I could because this isn’t just work.

This isn’t just paint.

This is the way I preserve my joy, fear, anger and my grief.

It’s how I show love.

That’s how I found my purpose.

By living it.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

Creating is my driving force. Its not a phase or a backup plan, it really is the thing that keeps me going. When I paint I’m present.
I’m open.
I’m pouring my spirit into something that’ll speak even when I’m quiet.
That’s what my work does for real. It does command attention not because its crazy bright (though the neon and fluorescent paints DEFINITELY help), but because it feels like something. People may stop for the color but stay for the story,
For years I’ve always heard people saying “You need a website!” or asking “What’s your website?” and I’m proud to say I’ve actually started building it not too long ago. But honestly there’s just something about a random DM or inbox from someone who stumbled across my work and felt moved enough to hit me up,.
It’s so personal.
It’s real.
That’s why I’ll always lean into social more than anything else. If anyone out in the world wants a peek into the heartbeat of my journey, see what I’ve been cooking up and painting through, I can always be found on Instagram at @leevalentineart.

That said, the website is coming.

Soon-ish….

Lately, I’ve just been shooting my shot with any and everyone, big names and small, because there literally ain’t no reason why everyone doesn’t have a Lee Valentine original hanging somewhere in their space.
I know the work is ready.
I know I’m ready.

Professionally, I’m focused on a few key things right now. Commissions have been the core and I love them, like, every one is a collaboration and I take it seriously.

This December, I’ll be the featured artist at CoBe Workspaces for Colonial Beach’s final 2nd Friday Artwalk of the year, which feels like a full circle moment in terms of showing up and showing out!

I’m also pushing myself to apply for more art competitions. I placed Honorable Mention this past June at the 2025 Potomac River Regional Art Competition, and that placement, along with past wins like 1st place and prior Honorable mentions done lit something in me again, It reminded me I ain’t quite done growing as an artist.
Not even close.

My focus is to get this work, this color, this soul, MY soul seen (and maybe even bought) by many.
I want the pieces i create to live where they’re needed.
To be in rooms where someone needs to feel seen,
In offices that need a reminder of fire.
In homes that need a bit more bold.

Don’t get it twisted though, I ain’t creating for fame or anything like that, I’m creating for impact.
I want to leave color where there wasn’t any. I want my work to live in the places people turn to when they need to remember who they are.

That’s the whole brand, honestly.
And I’m Just getting started.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

First off: consistency.
This is something I’m STILL learning and STILL pushing through.
Being consistent when life is lifing and when your hands hurt, money looking funny, and your head ain’t in it is hard! The struggle is so real sometimes! But showing up, EVEN imperfectly is what’s moved me forward the most. Not every painting session is all deep and soulful. Sometimes I’m just doing the best I can with what I got!
But those small moments of discipline build something. Even when it don’t feel like it in the moment.

Second: emotional honesty.
My work slaps when I stop trying to make it “perfect” and just say what I need to say.
Through color, texture, and energy. Folks don’t connect to polished, they connect to what’s real. My most powerful pieces have been the ones I painted when I was hurting or healing or reflecting. Just telling the truth without trying to dress it up. That’s what folks feel. That’s the kinda stuff that makes them stop and say “Damn, I needed that!”

Third: learning to protect your art like its worth something (because it is!)
Setting boundaries, naming your prices, asking for deposits, learning how to say no is not being difficult that’s being SERIOUS. It took me some time to get comfortable with standing on that, especially as someone who leads with heart. But real talk if you don’t value what you create nobody else will.

So if you’re just starting out don’t rush it,
Give your work time to grow with you and keep showing up EVEN on them days where you doubt everything and everyone. Even if its ugly or slow or quiet.
Stay honest.
Stay humble but stand on business.

What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?

When I feel overwhelmed I pause before I spiral.
I try my damndest to slow everything down like my thoughts, my breathing, my expectations. Sometimes that means blasting my music and painting something that has absolutely NOTHING to do with a deadline and everything to do with how I feel in that moment. I let myself be messy with it, unstructured.
Not every brushstroke has to be all profound and whatnot.
Sometimes I just need to move.
I’ve also learned that I ain’t gotta do everything all at once. When my brain’s doing the most I give myself one thing to finish, even if its small. That sense of progress helps pull me out of that “everything’s too much and I can’t even” headspace.
My advice is don’t guilt yourself for needing a break,
Rest is part of the process. Your work will wait for you and it might just be better if you show up grounded instead of burnt out.
Don’t be afraid to unplug and don’t be afraid to come back slowly,
Just make sure you come back,

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @leevalentineart
• Facebook: Lee Valentine Art