‘I HAVE TO PAY ATTENTION’
‘The ideas come quickly,’ prolific Albuquerque-based artist says
Editor’s note: Venue Plus continues “In Case You Didn’t Know,” a weekly feature with fun tidbits about New Mexicans and their projects.
Art has been a driving force for Victor Sáenz. When he was younger, it was something he would find himself dabbling in. He pursued an education in art while he was at El Paso Community College and later at the University of Texas-El Paso.
It was there he became grounded in classical fine art with a keen eye on composition and exploration.
Five years ago, he became serious about it and began to create fantasy, comic art and portrait work.
“I got out of a divorce,” he says. “I hadn’t done art seriously in about 20 years. This was the spark I needed to get myself moving forward.”
Today, the Albuquerque-based artists draws daily. His ideas run rampant in his head as he diligently tries to capture each one.
“The ideas come quickly, and I have to pay attention,” he says.
Sáenz shows in galleries, as well as at art markets and pop-up shows.
He recently had his work at Albuquerque Art Walk. He has another pop-up show on Sept. 25 at Casey Optical Too Summer Artist Showcase.
Sáenz doesn’t want to lock himself into one medium, so he creates in a wide array — pencil, watercolor, colored pencil and oil.
“It depends on what I’m creating,” he says. “I’ve always been kind of a nerd. I used to read a lot. I read books like the ‘Lord of the Rings,’ and the imagery sticks in your head. It’s really cool. I wanted to put it on paper and illustrate what I imagined in my head.”
Sáenz is aware that his work has wide appeal. “I know which market I’m going to and who I want to appeal to,” he says. “I’ve pushed myself to do other mediums. I’ve done some pop art, and I’ve tried to play with some Southwest pop art. Being seen at these markets and pop-up shows has really broadened who sees my work. I’m trying to get into Contemporary Hispanic Market for 2022. I always try to have a table at the comic conventions here.”
As Sáenz continues to create his art, here are five things you probably didn’t know about him: