Rosendo Sandoval

Rosendo Sandoval was born and raised in a small farming community in Mexico. He was the second child in a family of five kids. Being isolated from the big cities and public libraries as he was growing up limited his exposure to books. It was at school that he used textbooks that were filled with illustrations. These illustrations provided his first source of inspiration. He would copy by hand some of those pictures to develop his drawing skills. Other subjects that inspired him were the old Mexican movies that narrated a way of life that was already gone. Stories that were told through songs, music, and dances. Folktales and childhood experiences at a place where he was surrounded by farm workers, farm animals, large plots of farmland, orange groves and mountains.

His father died when Rosendo was eleven years old. Three years later, his family immigrated to the U.S. to look for a better life. His family settled in south Texas where he finished his education and worked as a farmworker.  

Mr. Sandoval earned three college degrees in Art. A Bachelor of Fine Arts in Art Education from Pan American University in Edinburg, Tx in 1982. A Master of Science in Art and Education from Texas A&I University in Kingsville, Tx in 1986, and a Master of Fine Arts in painting from UTPA in Edinburg, Tx in 2001. He worked as an Art teacher in South Texas from 1982- 2015. He is retired from teaching and painting full time.

At the present time, he and his family reside in south Texas where he continues working, being inspired by the south Texas way of life.