The Late Federico (Pico) Sanchez's Final Open Studio During The Mission's Spring Open Studios This Weekend: SFist

Seize the opportunity to learn more about the life and work of Mission icon Pico Sanchez, the neighborhood's most beloved artist, mentor, and friend who passed away suddenly at age 63 in December. All are invited to get a glimpse inside Sanchez's famous art studio, which will be open to the public for the last time, as part of the epic weekend-long Spring Open Studios in the Mission Saturday and Sunday.

Sanchez, whose vibrant murals are ubiquitous throughout the Mission, described his style of work as "sophisticated and naïve." Sanchez was ten-time president of the Project Artaud live/work art complex throughout his twenty-five years as a pioneering member living and working at the commune.

If you can't make it to his studio this weekend, Sanchez's 1000 Memories page is chock-full of amazing stories, photos, and videos of his life and work.

SFist contributor Micke Tong knew Sanchez and had this to say about the artist:

Pico Sanchez is the kind of artist that I strive to be, a purist when it comes to being creative. He was never concerned about making the dollar, rather he found value in sharing his art with the public. His art embraced his Mexican heritage and I can always expect something different from Pico, this made him a pleasure to be around. He was highly supportive of the Mission art community and introduced me to Project Artaud and the former Southern Exposure gallery, two art entities that he was highly involved with. I still remember running to the bathroom across from Pico's studio to look through a hole in the wall to see what the latest art installation was at SOEX. I still have [a piece of] the old Southern Exposure gallery in a can today, it reads " Best Quality Gallery Space". [The SOEX gallery canned their space and sold it. The building used to be an old cannery and when they left, they drilled circles off their building and dry wall and canned it.]

Learn more about Pico Sanchez: