Professor, Art and Art History
Armendariz was raised in El Paso, Texas, which borders Las Cruces, New Mexico and Juarez, Mexico. There he was surrounded by a mix of romanticism for the American landscape and the hybridization of Mexican, American, and indigenous cultures. Images that have cultural, biographical, and art historical references are carved and burned into the surface of the paintings and drawings.
Romanticism for the American landscape and the hybridization of Mexican, American, and indigenous cultures has always informed the content of my work. Images that have cultural, biographical and historical lineage are carved with power tools and burned into the surface of the painting, drawing, or the wood blocks that later become prints. I couple traditional techniques of painting, drawing and printmaking with non-tradition methods of drawing or carving to achieve my esthetic. Themes involving power dynamics, sentimental loves, as well as passionate, explosive love are the conceptual backbone of my work.