George Mendoza is an internationally recognized blind artist whose work has been exhibited across the United States through Smithsonian-affiliated touring programs. Beyond his visual art practice, he is also an author and speaker whose work explores themes of spirituality, intuition, resilience, and personal transformation.
He is also the creator of Spirit Man, a four-book fantasy series inspired by imagination, symbolism, and the transformative power of the human spirit. The series follows its protagonist through a dreamlike world where courage, self-discovery, and perseverance become central themes.
Despite losing his sight at the age of fifteen, Mendoza has developed a distinctive artistic language shaped by dreams, intuition, and memory. In this conversation with Noire Journal, he reflects on his creative process, the inspiration behind Spirit Man, the challenges that have shaped his artistic journey, and the projects that continue to define his evolving practice.
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1. You began losing your sight at the age of fifteen. How did that gradual change in perception reshape the way you experience the world and approach your artistic practice?
George Mendoza: When I lost my sight at the age of fifteen, I was lost, depressed, and suicidal. I couldn’t kill myself because a lot of the methods to kill yourself require you to see what you’re doing! For example, I said to myself, “Goodbye, cruel world!” and I took a fistful of pills. My friends saw me lying on the bed, and they thought I was dead. One of them looked at me and turned to his friend, James, and said, “He’s dead, Jim!” But I miraculously woke up, and it turned out to be cherry-flavored cough drops. I also got my hands on a gun and pulled the trigger with the barrel pointed to my temple; it was a toy gun with caps! I heard the bang of the cap going off. I thought, Oh, my God, I’m dead! But I really wasn’t. I tried hanging myself but couldn’t figure out how to make a noose. I could not see the pictures in the step-by-step method on making a noose and how to load real bullets into a gun. So, I guess I was destined to become what I am today. It took me nearly four years to adapt and adjust to my blindness. At seventeen, I moved to New Mexico with my mother, and I could see the big desert mountains and a clear blue sky. Ironically, I paint what I see in my mind’s eye, which nobody else can see. I call it the “George Mendoza Syndrome!” My brain sees visual hallucinations all the time to make up for the severe eyesight loss. I see faces, flowers, red blotches with black birds flying in the midst of red, silver, and green clouds of dust. My art is whimsical, and I do not worry about detail in my paintings. I am an outside visionary artist.
2. Your work is guided by intuition and spiritual perception. How does this shape your creative process?
George Mendoza: My dreams are very powerful and vivid. I usually sketch my images from my dreams and/or inner visions with a thick black marker on a white piece of paper. I go to the canvas and paint it black, dark blue, and purple. Then, I sketch the image from my dreams with a piece of white or yellow chalk. Lastly, I fill in the chalked image with primary colors. My art studio is in my backyard under the bright, hot New Mexico sun. I never paint indoors! I can feel the wind, rain, snow, hot and cold weather. To me, that is spiritual. My church is the great outdoors. I never listen to music or the radio. I hear music in my head and paint what I hear and feel with my hands. I seldom use a paintbrush! Most of my art is fingerpainting. This helps me to feel my work.
3. Your Spirit Man book series continues to grow with the upcoming audiobook release. What inspired the series, and what symbolism lies behind the Spirit Man?
George Mendoza: Like most writers, I was inspired by The Wizard of Oz, The Hobbit, Lord of the Rings, Chronicles of Narnia, Dark Tower, and many more great books. It’s in my blood to create, write, and paint. I love magic realism in literature, so I created a superhero, Michael the Spirit Man, who overcomes many obstacles to reach his dreams and goals. In the Spirit Man series, Michael is a runner just like me. Michael has to defeat many demons and villains in my stories. The dream world Michael finds himself in is full of very bad people, and the lands he visits are hostile. To me, the dream world is full of challenges and hardships, just like the so-called real human world.
4. As a painter, author, and speaker, how do these different forms of expression influence one another?
George Mendoza: Oddly, they all worked together in a beautiful way. For example, after I retired from running, I found I had more energy to paint and write my stories. After the Paralympics, my production of art and books skyrocketed.
5. As an internationally recognised blind artist and advocate for the arts, what has been the most valuable lesson you’ve learned from overcoming personal and professional challenges throughout your career?
George Mendoza: I still think and feel that there are a lot of stereotypes about being a blind artist. How can a blind person paint? How can a blind person run? I have accomplished a lot in my career and life, but I had to run the extra mile, or in my case, a marathon! There are too many naysayers out there in the big bad world. Don’t listen to them! You’ve got to push on, move forward against all the odds. Keep running out of the darkness! Keep running toward the light!
6. Looking back on your career, what achievement are you most proud of, and what are your plans for the future?
George Mendoza: My greatest achievement is my Smithsonian Traveling Art Exhibit Colors of the Wind, which has travelled all over the country. There are forty-five abstract paintings in my art show, along with nine tactile quilts for the blind to feel and touch and many text panels about my inspirational life story. I have many plans for the future. I am currently working on an immersive art show, Colors of the Wind. I have written two screenplays, Colors of the Wind and Spirit Man. I am producing a documentary film titled Spirit Man: the George Mendoza Story. My agent and manager are shopping my life story and the Spirit Man novels into films.
7. What is the most important message you hope to convey through your work?
George Mendoza: There is no sin in failure; the sin is when you don’t try! Winners never quit; quitters never win! Quitting is not an option! Never give up! Keep the dream alive! If you let the dream die in you, then the world can not see and share in your vision! Dream on baby dream on! And finally, I am rich in spirit, and someday I will even have some real money!
