Pattsi Valdez may be the most important Chicano/a artist working today.
The narrative thrust of her work, its blending of the domestic and the mystical, fits into a strong literary and artistic Latin American tradition.

While she was still very young, she participated in the Chicano National moratorium against the war in Vietnam. She was part of ASCO, the first important Chicano performance art group. She is active as a printmaker and a painter. Valdez’ current work can be seen in the exhibition "Chicano Visions" featuring the collection of Cheech Marin that is on a four-year tour of the United States. Significantly, her work graces the cover of the exhibition catalogue.

Her interiors are literal at first glance. This will give the museum's public a point of identification. Yet in works such as the painting Pattsi's Kitchen, the core of her home becomes a magical space. The print version of Pattsi's Kitchen, which depicts that same space more conventionally, provides an exciting comparison and offers viewers an entry into differences in medium and iconography. Although the domestic interior is iconic in her work, Black Madonna exemplifies an important strain of religious imagery.