“One of the things I teach my kids is to be playful in their approach,” says painter and teacher Diego Sanchez. This freedom to experiment takes the pressure off and opens up the work in unexpected directions. It’s an attitude that has served Sanchez well in his own practice.

Sanchez lives and works around Richmond, Virginia, a city with a vibrant art scene. His story is not just about becoming a successful artist, it’s also an inspiring account of an immigrant starting with nothing and rising up through the ranks of his profession. Born in Bogotá, Colombia, Sanchez came to the US in 1980 at the age of 15. His father, a judge, had refused to cave to pressure from drug cartels. Fleeing for their lives, the family ended up in Northern Virginia. Sanchez, who had opted to study French at school in Colombia, spoke no English. It was an art class that changed everything, providing a means of communication. “I realized with art, you didn’t need English or French, anyone could get it,” he says.

Composition #6, 9×12 inches, mixed media on paper, 2021

After graduating from high school, with no money for college, Sanchez enlisted in the army. On completion of his military service and college degree, he attended Virginia Commonwealth University School of Arts, one of the best art schools in the country, where he received his MFA.

In the years following, Sanchez cobbled together a career with teaching gigs at various places around Richmond. His first full-time position was at Virginia Union University (one of the oldest historically Black institutions in Virginia), where he taught for five years. Eventually, he was offered a position at St. Catherine’s School (a distinguished private girls’ school), where he has been teaching for over 20 years. During the summer, he leads art classes at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VFMA) and at Richmond’s Visual Art Center.

current work in progress, 48×36 inches, mixed media on panel, 2022

One of the first things you notice about Sanchez’ work is the surfaces. He uses a water base to develop them, coming back with layers of oil and cold wax. He also uses unorthodox materials—coffee to stain and soap mixed with pigment to create bubbles of paint that burst and leave behind nebulous rings of color. He likes playing with visual information. Sometimes he starts by creating realistic space and then paints something flat on it or adds patterns or text. “To me, a painting is a record of whatever is happening at the time. For instance, sometimes when I’m working in my studio, my wife will say, “Hey, can you pick up some milk?” So, I’ll jot down, pick up milk, on the work. I may cover it up later, but little glimpses of my life remain, becoming part of the painting.”

To center and relax during the stressful months of the pandemic, Sanchez started putting lines on paper. “I used this wonderful walnut ink. I love the earthy color, the opacity, the way it handles. I first created a simple structure of lines and then came back with the grid. I did a whole bunch of them, combining some with cold wax. It was like making a structure out of chaos.”

Composition #124, 32×40 inches, mixed media on panel, 2021

His work was changing, and with an upcoming show on the horizon, he set himself the challenge of doing 100 small pieces on paper. These gave him ideas on how to move forward, shifting from the handsome arrangements of geometric shapes to looser compositions that incorporate amorphous forms and interesting color pairings. In these works, texture and pattern possess an enhanced earthiness that imparts soul.

According to Dr. Michael R. Taylor, chief curator and deputy director for art and education of the VMFA, “Diego Sanchez is one of the most exciting and respected artists working in Richmond today, the museum loves his work, and we were proud to acquire Composition #76 for the collection in 2018.” Certainly, the measure of success is the acquisition of your work by a major museum, but Sanchez, like many famous artists before him, has the added coup of having his own merch available in the museum shop, which carries a puzzle and socks based on the acquired painting. Not bad for a kid who, at 15, had to start all over again from square one.