Born in Venezuela, designer Oralba Valera-Smith is a natural as well as a trained fine arts designer, photographer and exceptional craftswoman. Her formal artistic education began in Bogota, Colombia, where she studied at the Jorge Tadeo Lozano University and obtained a degree in Graphic Design. Her love for her profession and her passion for the arts have continued to flourish through continuous education in Drawing, Painting, Scenography, Photography, and Computer Graphics; including studies at the Oxford College of Further Education, England.
Oralba’s professional acumen includes positions such as Art Director, Graphic Designer, Art Teacher, Illustrator and Assistant of Animation at the Cinematography Department at the University of Los Andes, Merida-Venezuela. She has also served in varying artistic capacities at the Art Museum of Southeast Texas and the Orlando Museum of Art.
In 1987, Oralba opened her Design and Decoration factory, where she designed and fabricated unique designer wearable accessories in canvas for children. Eventually, her product line grew to accommodate the demand for adult men and women’s accessories, still focusing on eco-friendly materials and a dedication to originality and uniqueness in each of her wearable pieces of art.
Today, Oralba offers unique bio-friendly designer shoes that feature authenticity, comfort and originality in a long-lasting wearable art product.