By Envision Arts Center
Artwork created by George Mendoza, courtesy of the Ellen Noël Art Museum
Colors of the Wind is a vibrant collection of paintings by blind artist George Mendoza, capturing a decade of his creative journey.
At the age of 15, Mendoza was diagnosed with fundus flavimaculatus, a rare and incurable degenerative eye condition. The disease gradually eroded his central vision, leaving him with only a hazy ring of peripheral sight.
At the center of his visual field, George experiences what he describes as “kaleidoscope eyes”—a constant swirl of vivid, shifting imagery: blazing suns, radiant eyes, and spinning pinwheels of color.
These intense visions, though disorienting, became the foundation of his artistic expression. Below are a few examples of his work.
Kaleidoscope Eyes (2004) by George MendozaEnvision Arts Center
Kaleidoscope Eyes
The landscape of Kaleidoscope Eyes blooms with vivid desert flowers and cacti, scattered among vibrant, beaming eyes.
Above, a sky composed entirely of gleaming irises and streaming suns shimmers, as if each moment is painted through George’s inner vision.
Happiness is a Warm Sun (Full) by George MendozaEnvision Arts Center
Happiness is a Warm Sun
In this vibrant piece composed of four quadrents, short, circling strokes of red, blue, and yellow form the center of a sun.
Bold rays in fiery hues fill the remaining canvas, blinding out the surrounding view.
Large, stylized eyes—a recurring symbol in George's work—hover throughout the composition, watching and glowing.
Faraway Eyes (2004) by George MendozaEnvision Arts Center
Faraway Eyes
Inspired by the dramatic scenery of his home state, New Mexico, Mendoza reimagines the landscape through his unique lens.
High-chroma tones exaggerate the natural world into something dreamlike.
Abstract flowers bloom in the foreground, their forms blending and bleeding into one another.
"Those of us with obstacles, or anytime adversity strikes – why should we keep on? Why don’t we all just stop, give up and disappear?
Because I have learned people live, really live, under all sorts of challenges in the most extraordinary ways. I’m blind and I ‘see’ magnificence, triumph, genuineness and masterpieces every single day. So can you.”
-George Mendoza
To view the entirety of Colors of the Wind, visit the Envision Arts Center's collection page.
Artwork courtesy of the Ellen Noël Art Museum
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