Richard 'Ricky' Armendariz American, b. 1969

Armendariz was born in El Paso, Texas. He received his BFA from the University of Texas at San Antonio and MFA from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Growing up on the US/Mexico border influenced his artistic and conceptual aesthetic. Images that have cultural, biographical, and art historical references are carved and burned into the surface of his paintings, drawings, and prints. Greek and Mesoamerican mythology are essential in the artist’s exploration of the complex relationship between humans and animals. As a figurative artist, Armendariz enjoys playing with traits of human anatomy and identifying possible connections with animal characteristics that allow a deeper understanding of humanity. 

Armendariz’s work has been selected for numerous solo and group exhibitions, such as Icons and Symbols of the Borderland, a traveling exhibition, and Tu Eres o No Tu Eres Mi Baby (Is You Is or Is You Ain’t My Baby) Paintings by Ricky Armendariz, Art League Houston, Houston, TX. He has also been featured and reviewed by Glasstire. The artist has also been a part of numerous residency programs, such as the 2013 Berlin Residency Program by Blue Star Contemporary Art Museum in partnership with Künstlerhaus Bethanien, Berlin, Germany, and the inaugural 2017 Artist-In-Residence at The DoSeum, San Antonio, TX.  In 2017 and again in 2022, Armendariz was selected to be an Artist-In-Residency at Anderson Ranch, Snowmass Village, Colorado.

Armendariz’s artworks can be found in prestigious collections, including The Cheech Marin Center, Riverside, CA; Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minneapolis, MN; Denver Art Museum, Denver, CO; Davis Museum, Wellesley, MA; Amon Carter Museum of American Art, Fort Worth, TX;  San Antonio Museum of Art, San Antonio, TX and The McNay Art Museum, San Antonio, TX.

The artist is based in San Antonio, TX, and is a Full Professor of Art at the University of Texas at San Antonio.

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