Biography
Honorary Artist Member since 1984
Santos Barbosa was born in McAllen, TX a small town on the border of Mexico. He always loved to draw and while serving a 2-year stint in the US Army, he spent spare time creating renderings of his fellow Army buddies and their sweethearts. In the 1970’s he sold his first pieces in shows in the Tucson area on weekends. Santos began displaying his artwork throughout the 1970s at the Pima County Fair where he won Best of Show and various other awards.
His inspiration for his paintings comes from reading historic stories & books, watching western movies & TV shows, and traveling to historic western sites.
He has received multiple awards in shows over the years, such as 2nd place at the Phippen Show in 1992, Best in Show at the Empire Ranch Show in 2011, Artist of the year in 2014 for the Baile Artist of The Year for St Luke’s Home, Best of Show at the new Tucson Desert Art Museum- Four Corners Gallery “Missions of The Southwest” juried art show in 2015, and the 2017 Artist of the Year for Friends of Western Art.
