Rolando Garza

BIO

Rolando Garza was born in San Antonio, Texas, in 1959. He gained early recognition as a watercolorist while still in his teens. Largely self-taught, Garza further developed his skills through study with painter Carl Rice Embry at the San Antonio Art Institute.

Raised on San Antonio’s East Side in a family deeply rooted in the arts and music, Garza began exhibiting his work at a young age. In 1979, as a teenager, he co-founded a downtown San Antonio gallery with his brothers, where they presented exhibitions of their work. Garza comes from a distinguished lineage of artists and musicians. His aunt, Rosita Fernández, was a celebrated Tejano singer and actress, and his uncle, Raul Gutierrez, an accomplished San Antonio artist, played an influential role in encouraging his pursuit of fine art.

In addition to his artistic career, Garza served as a firefighter in San Antonio for 33 years before retiring. He is best known for his realistic landscape paintings, particularly in watercolor, though his more recent work has evolved toward a looser, increasingly abstract style. Garza resides on the outskirts of San Antonio with his wife, where he has built a dedicated studio and continues to focus on his artistic practice.