Richard Armendariz
Associate Professor of Art
phone :: 210-458-5154
email | cv
M.F.A. University of Colorado at Boulder, 1999
B.F.A. University of Texas at San Antonio, 1996
Selected Solo Exhibitions
Lonesome Highways are the Only Kind I Seem to Travel, REM Gallery, San Antonio, Texas
Confessions of a Singin’ Vaquero, Blue Star Contemporary Art Gallery, San Antonio, Texas
Land, People and Identity, International Centre of Bethlehem, Bethlehem, Palestine
Selected Awards
University Fellowship Award, University of Colorado at Boulder
Artist Statement
I was born and raised in El Paso, Texas which borders Las Cruces, New Mexico and Juarez, Mexico. There I was saturated by a mix of romanticism for the American landscape and the result is the hybridization of Mexican, American, and indigenous cultures. Images that have cultural, biographical and historical lineage are carved into the surface of the painting. Text, in the form of original song lyrics, are carved and/or added to the titles to draw further connection to a Western aesthetic and the tradition of Tejano and country music. The aesthetic combination of Western imagery coupled with contemporary and art historical influences are a foundation for my work. My goal with this body of work is to elevate the perception of landscape-genre painting, and contribute to its long-standing history in art.
