Skip to main contentBiographyRodriguez was born in Taos, New Mexico. Her father's side of the family were "native Hispanic Taoseños" and had been living in the area for many generations. Her mother was a painter from Austin, Texas who relocated to Taos in order to study art with Walter Ufer. Rodriguez was raised Catholic.
During Rodriguez's teen years, she went to Mexico City where she spent time painting and learned the styles of Mexican artists such as Frida Kahlo.
Rodriguez took art at both Colorado College and at the University of Denver. Later, she gave birth to a daughter, Shemai, in 1965. She started her own construction company in Taos in order to support herself and her daughter. Her construction work focused on the use of adobe to create fireplaces and nichos. Even while working on fireplaces, Rodriguez felt that instead of creating something commonplace, that her work was "functional sculpture." After Shemai grew up and left the house, Rodriguez retired from construction and started painting full-time. She later moved to Guanajuato, Mexico in 1996 and left to move back to Taos in 2010.
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Anita Rodriguez
American, born 1941
During Rodriguez's teen years, she went to Mexico City where she spent time painting and learned the styles of Mexican artists such as Frida Kahlo.
Rodriguez took art at both Colorado College and at the University of Denver. Later, she gave birth to a daughter, Shemai, in 1965. She started her own construction company in Taos in order to support herself and her daughter. Her construction work focused on the use of adobe to create fireplaces and nichos. Even while working on fireplaces, Rodriguez felt that instead of creating something commonplace, that her work was "functional sculpture." After Shemai grew up and left the house, Rodriguez retired from construction and started painting full-time. She later moved to Guanajuato, Mexico in 1996 and left to move back to Taos in 2010.
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