Art by John Sanchez

 I come from a background of divorce and grit. My young mother, with dreams bigger than her reality, married a much older man. He was an airline pilot in Cuba, his third marriage, and I’d be the last of his many kids. He was 64 when I was born, my mother in her early thirties. The man was tired, worn out. They divorced when I was three, in New Jersey. Immigrants, scraping by with hard work and blue-collar jobs. My father took whatever work he could find, mostly driving trucks. The communists in Cuba had torpedoed any real chances for future success in the United States. My two brothers and I ended up on public assistance. Then my mother started dating another man, and that’s when the real chaos began. Drugs and alcohol stormed into our lives, ushering in years of domestic violence, drama, and constant moving. New schools, new roach-infested apartments every six months. One day, a neighbor had a garage sale. We couldn’t afford much, but my eyes lit up when I saw a trunk full of draw...

 Back in my early 20s, I found myself working as a security officer in a hospital. Now, let me tell you, for a naturally shy and introspective guy, this job was a real test. Imagine having to be the authority figure, directing people during some of the most stressful moments of their lives. Add to that the fun of subduing violent or inebriated folks, especially on the weekend shifts. We had our fair share of interesting characters, like "HH," who was a sparring partner for Mike Tyson. When the police called to warn us about HH, we knew we were in for a ride. Then there was "Joe," a guy who had done serious time and always kept us on our toes. One day, a big, friendly guy from California showed up to visit a sick relative. He got to chatting with our team and mentioned he was opening a martial arts school in the area. Naturally, we were intrigued. This was the 90s, mind you, before MMA became all the rage. He introduced us to Jeet Kune Do, the martial art popularized...

Being an artist is a lot like being on a rollercoaster. There are ups and downs but all of it thrilling. Thrilling can be seen as a negative with all its stress and fears. Who would want to go through that? Well, those very things can feel positive. It is understood that in order to enjoy the ride you simply accept that those stresses are part of it. Notice how most people feel exhilarated coming off the rollercoaster. In fact we tend to rush, now a days, to see what we looked like during those hairy pin turns in the photos posted as you walk out of the ride. Most people have fun. As artist we can have stretches of time when all is great. You can have paintings, like I did, flying all over the world to live in a new homes. Your bank account can be flush with cash, no credit card debts, maybe a bit of a surplus for fun things or investments. That’s how it was for me right after my first solo show in 2005: a sold out show, some local write ups, attention, more interest in my work. Thi...

Life Of This Artist number 1.  LOTA #1  Have you ever wondered what the nuts and bolts of actually being an artist is like? Are you an artist yourself? Let me give you a peek in how I do it around here. I am going to share some of my daily goings on this (for me unlikely) crazy profession. I aim to be candid and not pull any punches on some of my struggles and triumphs. I will let you in on how I create my paintings. I’ll share my marketing experiments and their results! This was never taught in school! (I may even rant on why it was not ) I’ll share on how I struggle to find time for art making and organizing my day. I am a husband a father of two young energetic boys and a brand spanking new little girl, I am also an adjunct professor at a local college and depending on the results of my marketing, then I am also an adjunct professor at a NOT so local college or university. Sometimes this is necessary to make ends meet and yet despite having nearly 2 or 3 nervous bre...

There it is, like a, well, an Oasis in the night. Poor planning, too much bravado or faith in the wrong way, or just not being aware can have you close to empty. Or maybe the road is clear, the plan is good it is just that you are cutting it close. At the 11th hour there it is, shining bright, the much needed refueling. I know many of you know what I mean. I myself know it all too well these days. My choices in life, as do yours(?) can seem difficult and the outcomes uncertain. I guess this personal post is as much motivational in nature for myself. I know these refueling stations of life exist. It may seem scary there in the dark. All we can do is to keep on driving. It will show up. It must. It has. This drawing is a reminder. 7"x9" drawing Framed 14.5" x 17"  Price $980

Archival Ink on acid free archival paper. Image is 7"x 9"(inches) $45 plus shipping

Summer is coming to an end soon. I wanted to go out to where the summer seems endless. A quick trip to Fort Lauderdale beach was just the ticket! Blustery ocean breeze in a quiet spot and oh the smell of summer, what can be better? I guess I gravitate to red pick up trucks lately! I swear I did not notice that I was painting yet another red vehicle until it was time to stop painting! Speaking of red, my neck is almost the same color as that truck! And I had an umbrella! I hope I can squeeze in a few more of these beach scenes before most vacations are over. Own it. Click below. 

Wow what a year it has been so far! Every brushstroke hopefully was imbued with the spirit of every moment lived.

This a studio painting that is based on a trip to the ArtSanDiego fair last November. It was a great trip and a wonderful art fair. It was my first time in California. I really loved the hills. We don't have any down here in South Florida. In a strange way it reminded me of where I grew up in Northern New Jersey. 

The Deering Estate Miami Florida (SOLD) The Deering Estate Miami Florida The Biltmore Hotel of Miami Florida The Biltmore Hotel of Miami Florida Oak Hallow Studios Carthage North Carolina Across the street from my house! Weston Florida Weston Florida Oak Hollow Studios Carthage North Carolina Oak Hollow Studios Carthage North Carolina ...and more to come.  These are a few things that I have been working on since my last newsletter. If you do not receive that newsletter contact me and I will get you on the list. These works that you see above are all painted on location. I took an amazing workshop in North Carolina with renowned painter Marc Dalessio. We spent a week on a beautiful property run by the most gracious and generous host Carmen Gordon. The official name of the place is Oak Hollows Studio. I am keeping the momentum going by painting locally. Keep an eye on this blog as I will keep post...

Avenida Libertador Plaza Rosedal, Buenos Aires  11"x14"oil on mounted linen Wide avenues are a plenty in BA. They act like large arteries that keep people moving and the city alive. This one was one of the more formal and cleaner ones. "Avenida Libertador"is the perfect name for it, as there are many public heroic monuments dotting the many miles it snakes through. It is where most of the foreign embassies are. Great parks in this area as well.

Santa Fe y Plaza Italia Buenos Aires  11"x 14" oil on mounted linen Walking was my passion in this city. I have a travel rule which is gargantuan to stick to if you are part of a large group. Luckily most of my time in Buenos Aires was alone or with my wife and two boys.  The rule is that as often as possible to walk with a loose sense of a destination. I allow myself to be open and as nimble as the proverbial leaf floating in the wind. My practical side too performs its eye roll to this rule. I recognize its indulgence and its plain selfishness. If you only have a short time in a place, does it not make sense to hit up all the photo ops that the places are for? I would like to argue that you get less from this goal oriented action. That just being is more enriching than looking at a pic from a vacation, months later or if at all. That the stress and speed in which one rushes to the destination takes away from the joy of observing. During my MFA studies some years ago I ...

A Tourist walk through San Telmo, Buenos Aires  14"x11" oil on mounted linen panel Buenos Aires is a bustling metropolis. As I mentioned before one of my greatest joys was to walk around its many neighborhoods. There are 48 to be exact. We did a pretty good job walking many of them. Barrios (another word for neighborhood) have their distinct feel. San Telmo was unique in that it had an "old world" feel mixed with a "hipster"sensibility. I found cool "artisanal cervesas" pubs next to traditional "parillada" restaurants. Heck, a ton of single gear bicycles chained everywhere and near amazing "choripan" kiosks. What? Is Brooklyn or Shoreditch infecting all parts of the world? The architecture here is fascinating.

Family Crossing Buenos Aires   11" x 14" oil on mounted linen lin I bought a Garmin Vivofit walking tracker before going to Buenos Aires.  I wanted to be sure to get in my "healthy" 10k steps a day. I knew that keeping a healthy eating plan was going to be difficult in the land of meat and ice cream and pizza....and empanadas...and wine...oh! and dulce de leche! Walking we did! 10k steps a day was a warm up to what a typical day was like exploring BA's various neighborhoods. I found it a refreshing change to what my life is like in South Florida: a cup of coffee usually requires a drive. I also found interesting the sharp angles of light that seem to be everywhere. Major cities with their high buildings will create these shapes of light. In this painting I am attempting to combine these ideas.