Eva Marengo Sanchez Makes Her Mark as a Muralist and a Painter

Eva Marengo Sanchez’s  fascination with the color and texture of Mexican food has led her  to devote hundreds of hours  during the pandemic to the painting pan dulce, tacos, and frutas frescas  commonly found in Mexican restaurants and small grocery stores on the Westside of San Antonio.  

She recently exhibited her art at the 2021 McNay Art Museum gala  “Dining with the Masters, A Virtual Soirèe.”  Eva was a participating artist in virtual discussions of  art with McNay gala attendees. She describes her use of still life and food as a way of talking about cultural identity. 

Eva Marengo Sanchez.  Mural de Flores.

Eva’s association with art began at age sixteen when she began volunteering as a teacher’s assistant  at Southwest School of Arts [SWSA].   She assisted SWSA teacher, Rainy Rodriguez with the little kids. “It was a lot of coloring and ghost stories and stuff.”  During that class Ms. Rodriguez encouraged Eva to join an after school program called the Bee Nation at SWSA.  

When Eva returned to SWSA the following year, she  made a decision to learn more about color-- recognizing that understanding color and “color sensitivity” would be important to her work.  She explained, “I think that skill came from challenging myself to color match by mixing colors as a kid because I couldn't actually paint but liked messing with paint.”   It was when Eva demonstrated exceptional skills in mixing colors that her teacher convinced her that she could excel in painting and drawing.  

Eva Marengo Sanchez in her Southtown studio. Photo: Ricardo Romo. 

Eva’s family lived in Southeast San Antonio, but she attended Holy Cross Catholic School in the deep Westside of the city where her father taught religious studies. After her graduation, she enrolled at  Earlham College, a small liberal arts college founded by the Quakers in the 1860s.  Located in Richmond, Indiana, the college curriculum with a focus on peace and social justice made an impression on Eva.

Eva enjoyed her classes in psychology, sociology, and social sciences and graduated in 2013 with a degree in Human Development and Social Relations.  She returned to San Antonio, and worked for a time in different jobs trying to decide what career to pursue. 

  With a degree in hand,  her next stop was Mexico City where she worked on her Spanish and studied Meso-American art and architecture.  While in Mexico, she visited museums and took a great interest in the public art of the great Mexican muralists. 

In the interior of Mexico, Eva gained an appreciation of food as a major component of Mexican culture.  She returned to San Antonio  in 2016 with a desire to learn more about painting and drawing.  Eager to develop her artistic skills, she enrolled in several art classes at San Antonio College. 

She began an internship with Andy and Yvette Benavides at their  South Flores frame shop [2013-214].  She credits the Benavides with introducing  her to the art scene in SA and with giving her a solo show .  Eva had a strong desire to begin painting, but earning a living in the immediate years following college graduation took precedence. 

An excellent job opportunity arose when Emily Strayes, the fabulous singer, songwriter, and founding member of the Dixie Chicks, hired Eva as a personal assistant.  Eva’s work included traveling with the Dixie Chicks’  band.  Although this job was gratifying,  Eva felt an art void in her life.  

Eva remained  in touch with several of the artists she had met while interning with Andy and Yvette Benavides and working with Strayers.   She credits her additional development as an artist to  Andy and Yvette Benavides, Alex Rubio, Cruz Ortiz, Shek, and Nic Soupe, Luis Trevino, Antonia Richardson, and Tatum.   She is generous in crediting artists who mentored her and opened opportunities for her.  

Eva Marengo Sanchez, Pan Dulce.  Southtown studio. Photo: Ricardo Romo. 

Eva’s artistic breakthrough came in 2017 when she was invited to show her work at the Benavides’ S.M.A.R.T. Gallery.   Her paintings, all with food themes, sold out. She described her food paintings as still-life presentations floating in white background that allowed her to spend more time rendering each object. 

A show two years later at the Presa House also helped “jump start” her career.  Indeed, her Presa show  caught the eye of members of the McNay Curatorial team who recommended her for the show at the McNay last month.   

Eva recently completed a mural at the San Antonio International Airport and accepted an art commission from Master Chef Johnny Hernandez. Eva has been tasked by Hernandez to prepare colorful art labels for his packaged food products.  Eva is meticulous in her choice of colors and detailed in her drawing  so we can soon expect  artistic pageantry in the illustrations Eva provides for the delicious traditional Mexican dishes created  by Johnny Hernandez. 

Eva Marengo Sanchez’s  fascination with the color and texture of Mexican food has led her  to devote hundreds of hours  during the pandemic to the painting pan dulce, tacos, and frutas frescas  commonly found in Mexican restaurants and small grocery stores on the Westside of San Antonio.  

She recently exhibited her art at the 2021 McNay Art Museum gala  “Dining with the Masters, A Virtual Soirèe.”  Eva was a participating artist in virtual discussions of  art with McNay gala attendees. She describes her use of still life and food as a way of talking about cultural identity. 

Eva’s association with art began at age sixteen when she began volunteering as a teacher’s assistant  at Southwest School of Arts [SWSA].   She assisted SWSA teacher, Rainy Rodriguez with the little kids. “It was a lot of coloring and ghost stories and stuff.”  During that class Ms. Rodriguez encouraged Eva to join an after school program called the Bee Nation at SWSA.  

When Eva returned to SWSA the following year, she  made a decision to learn more about color-- recognizing that understanding color and “color sensitivity” would be important to her work.  She explained, “I think that skill came from challenging myself to color match by mixing colors as a kid because I couldn't actually paint but liked messing with paint.”   It was when Eva demonstrated exceptional skills in mixing colors that her teacher convinced her that she could excel in painting and drawing.  

Eva’s family lived in Southeast San Antonio, but she attended Holy Cross Catholic School in the deep Westside of the city where her father taught religious studies. After her graduation, she enrolled at  Earlham College, a small liberal arts college founded by the Quakers in the 1860s.  Located in Richmond, Indiana, the college curriculum with a focus on peace and social justice made an impression on Eva.

Eva enjoyed her classes in psychology, sociology, and social sciences and graduated in 2013 with a degree in Human Development and Social Relations.  She returned to San Antonio, and worked for a time in different jobs trying to decide what career to pursue. 

  With a degree in hand,  her next stop was Mexico City where she worked on her Spanish and studied Meso-American art and architecture.  While in Mexico, she visited museums and took a great interest in the public art of the great Mexican muralists. 

Eva Marengo Sanchez, “tacos al pastor,”  Southtown studio. Photo: Ricardo Romo. 

In the interior of Mexico, Eva gained an appreciation of food as a major component of Mexican culture.  She returned to San Antonio  in 2016 with a desire to learn more about painting and drawing.  Eager to develop her artistic skills, she enrolled in several art classes at San Antonio College. 

She began an internship with Andy and Yvette Benavides at their  South Flores frame shop [2013-214].  She credits the Benavides with introducing  her to the art scene in SA and with giving her a solo show .  Eva had a strong desire to begin painting, but earning a living in the immediate years following college graduation took precedence. 

An excellent job opportunity arose when Emily Strayes, the fabulous singer, songwriter, and founding member of the Dixie Chicks, hired Eva as a personal assistant.  Eva’s work included traveling with the Dixie Chicks’  band.  Although this job was gratifying,  Eva felt an art void in her life.  

Eva remained  in touch with several of the artists she had met while interning with Andy and Yvette Benavides and working with Strayers.   She credits her additional development as an artist to  Andy and Yvette Benavides, Alex Rubio, Cruz Ortiz, Shek, and Nic Soupe, Luis Trevino, Antonia Richardson, and Tatum.   She is generous in crediting artists who mentored her and opened opportunities for her.  

Eva’s artistic breakthrough came in 2017 when she was invited to show her work at the Benavides’ S.M.A.R.T. Gallery.   Her paintings, all with food themes, sold out. She described her food paintings as still-life presentations floating in white background that allowed her to spend more time rendering each object. 

A show two years later at the Presa House also helped “jump start” her career.  Indeed, her Presa show  caught the eye of members of the McNay Curatorial team who recommended her for the show at the McNay last month.   

Eva recently completed a mural at the San Antonio International Airport and accepted an art commission from Master Chef Johnny Hernandez. Eva has been tasked by Hernandez to prepare colorful art labels for his packaged food products.  Eva is meticulous in her choice of colors and detailed in her drawing  so we can soon expect  artistic pageantry in the illustrations Eva provides for the delicious traditional Mexican dishes created  by Johnny Hernandez. 

Eva Marengo Sanchez. Elevators.  San Antonio International Airport.