Enrique Guerra

After graduating from Paier College of Art in Hamden, Connecticut, Enrique Guerra studied with artists Robert Lougheed and Tom Lovell in New Mexico. Guerra admires Lougheed the most because of his ability to transform an insignificant subject into a truly brilliant work of art. Guerra works in both oil and bronze. Most of his paintings depict the vast desert and brushlands of northern Mexico and South Texas. He enjoys painting street scenes in nearly abandoned towns or images of farmers with their livestock. Because he has spent the greater part of his life in these very surroundings, this is the subject matter that continues to captivate and shape his work.

Guerra lives on his family’s cattle ranch near McAllen, Texas. His work is featured annually at the Night of the Artists at the Briscoe Western Art Museum.

In 2016, Guerra installed a life-sized sculpture titled The Vaquero in the sculpture garden of the Briscoe Western Art Museum. The commissioned work depicts an early Spanish settler driving two longhorn cows that are yoked together with a rope. Guerra’s research revealed the specific way in which ropes with wooden bobbins were used to secure wild cattle as they were driven between destinations. The vaqueros further deterred the cattle from escaping by braiding their tails together, as depicted in this early Texas ranch scene. Guerra is currently working on a similar commission of a Texas hero.