Armendariz addresses the increased militarization of the border by depicting an Apache helicopter patrolling the U.S.-Mexico border. The text references a Bob Dylan lyric, meant to underscore the severity of our current political climate. Lights are added to this carved painting, a current theme in Armendariz’s work, rebooting old astrological signs believed to play a hand in human fate.

"Regional flora and fauna are used as protagonists in my compositions. Anthropomorphism has a long history in Renaissance and classical painting. The use of animals as surrogates for human beings to address difficult subjects has been a recurring theme in my work." Richard 'Ricky' Armendariz