About Alfredo
In the News
December 2, 2008
Artist Spotlight
Imagining Two Cultures...Alfredo J. Sanchez by Rosemary Carstens
Alfredo's Story
As a child, I played in the plaza of a church near my home and the town's central market in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. Painters routinely set up their easels throughout the colorful colonial district and spent hours painting street scenes with the people and architecture that make the town unique. Between games and errands, I enjoyed watching the artists and would linger when I saw paintings I especially liked. I first remember myself drawing while seated quietly in the courtyard at home. Animals and houses were my favorite themes. At seven, I began learning to paint on Saturday afternoons at the Biblioteca, the town's library, where school children could attend classes taught by artists in the community.
My paintings express memories, images and patterns I reference from this dynamic place, where church spires touch the sky and magical occurrences are daily events. I enjoy art the most when I create beauty in the abstract. I observe nature through a lens that simplifies forms. Geometric shapes often capture the essence and gesture of a subject. I look for patterns in the shapes and see forms in the shadows. Negative space, the empty space between, abounds with forms I interpret in my work.
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, alter and 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.
During my university years in Mexico City, I became familiar with the work of the Mexican muralists. Tamayo, Siqueiros, Rivera and Orozco opened my eyes to how color and anthropology mix to tell a potent cultural story. Visits to museums in New York and Washington increased my foundation in the arts. When I returned to San Miguel, I took up painting seriously at the Instituto Allende, where the influence of many fine teachers helped me find my way. I am indebted to all those generous people for their lasting guidance in my life.