Richard "Ricky" Armendariz explores the cultural, biographical, and mythological complexities of the U.S.–Mexico borderlands through a signature, physically rigorous method of carving and burning directly into his artistic surfaces. Raised in El Paso, Texas, and currently working as a Full Professor at the University of Texas at San Antonio, Armendariz blends traditional painting, drawing, and printmaking with raw, non-traditional subtractive techniques. His vibrant compositions marry the romanticism of the American landscape with a contemporary hybridization of Mexican, American, and Indigenous cultures. By interweaving allegorical animal figures, Greek and Mesoamerican mythology, and evocative Spanglish or lyric-based text, his work confronts universal themes of destiny, power dynamics, and human vulnerability. His distinctive works are represented in major permanent institutional holdings, including the San Antonio Museum of Art, the Denver Art Museum, and The Cheech Marin Center.