Imagining Two Cultures . . .Alfredo J. Sanchez

Now calling Wimberley, Texas, his home, Latino artist ALFREDO SANCHEZ creates vibrant works of art by drawing from a rich well of memory and cultural history. Growing up in San Miguel de Allende, a renowned art colony a few hours by bus north of Mexico City, it was not unusual for him to see artists working in the town’s main plaza, painting the colorful colonial district, the street scenes, all the traditional activities of the community. Alfredo loved watching them work and spent many quiet hours drawing in the courtyard of his home. At age seven, he learned to paint in classes taught at the library by San Miguel’s artists.

As Alfredo says today, “My paintings express memories, images and patterns from this place where church spires touch the sky and magical occurrences are daily events.” He loves to paint “beauty in the abstract,” simplifying forms, using geometric shapes to capture the essence and gestural qualities of a subject. He looks for patterns in the shapes and sees forms in the shadows. “As I work, I play with color. I see a multitude of colors in the natural world but rarely do I see a solid color. There's a freedom in choosing which colors to intensify, to alter, and which to imbue with emotion. I like to paint in layers of color, where sometimes jarring tones lie side by side, but are tamed slightly when the eye blends them.”

Sanchez paints everything around him, from stunning abstracts to landscapes and portraits. His small abstracts and a series of prints reflect scenes from his childhood—recollections of summer afternoons spent in his grandfather’s garden, playing amidst fruit-laden trees and masses of flowers, the hum of bees often on the air; stately town processions on holy days; the main church’s spire against a cerulean sky. More recently he has begun a series of mixed-media collages, such as the one pictured here, combining acrylics, a bold palette, and scraps of silk and batik to create compelling images drawn from the natural world. He is married to American textile artist SUSAN CRANSHAW and the two of them find their individual work enriched by their dual culture and history. Alfredo’s canvases carry a subtle narrative beneath their skillful rendering—stories, not only of his past but of his present. Stories that lend themselves to interpretation, that engage and intrigue us as we make them our own.

To see more of Alfredo Sanchez’s work and learn more about his unique paintings:

http://www.alfredojsanchez.com/

Gallery on the Square, Wimberley, TX – (512) 847-9904
http://www.galleryonthesquare.com/

New Braunfels Art League Gallery, New Braunfels, TX – (830) 629-8022
http://www.newbraunfelsartleague.com/

--Rosemary Carstens