Sergio Sanchez was born in Mexico City and moved with his family to the United States in 1979. Growing up in many parts of Los Angeles, he was exposed to various forms of aesthetic expression and always possessed a deep interest in art. Sanchez’ emphasis on storytelling, shape, value, color, and design was apparent throughout his formative years. His early art was inspired by the visual storytelling of comic books. As an adolescent, the intricate shapes and designs of graffiti heavily influenced Sanchez during the b-boy era. In the mid-1990s, Sanchez became a tattoo artist and continued his career in illustration. In 1999, he attended Associates in Art, where he studied under Mark Westermoe, Bill Perkins, Kevin Chen, and many others. During this time, he was exposed to artists such as Nicolai Fechin, Anders Zorn, Joaquin Sorolla and Dean Cornwell, as well as Chinese and Russian academic work. Sanchez was heavily influenced during this time by little known Mexican artist Saturnino Herran and his structured approach to drawing and painting from life, live models, landscapes, and still-lifes. After a year and a half of study at the school, Sanchez was invited to teach there, which he did from 2000 to 2002, when he began his current career teaching at the Los Angeles Academy of Figurative Art. Sanchez also teaches at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California and the Laguna College of California.
Sergio Sanchez is a Mentor Program Member of the California Art Club.
