Mendoza publishes third book in Spirit Man trilogy

Las Cruces artist and author George Mendoza completes his Spirit Man trilogy with the publication of book three in the series, “Heart of the Spirit Man.”

"Heart of the Spirit Man is a hero's journey about Michael's quest to get his heart back, which was stolen by a mad god who dwells in the wastelands of Shook,” Mendoza said. “it is an inspirational story about a young man's courage and his incredible triumph over defeat and despair." 

Mendoza has published more than 30 books. He began painting and drawing in childhood and has been a full-time artist since the early 1990s.

Mendoza, 68, has been legally blind since age 15. Some peripheral vision remains, he said, along with the colors he sees and paints.

A New York City native, Mendoza graduated from New Mexico School for the Blind and Visually Impaired in Alamogordo.

He was seriously injured while running in the Organ Mountains in 2011, suffering a broken left arm and broken jaw and damage to his right hip and knee, Mendoza said. That experience helped him “discover” the location in the Organs of the gateway that leads his hero, Michael, on his adventures in the “Spirit Man” series. The character is based on Mendoza’s real-life son, Michael, and “Journey of the Spirit Man” was dedicated to Mendoza’s daughter, Maria.

Mendoza’s artwork has been shown in galleries around the world and hangs in many private collections. His exhibition “Colors of the Wind” was a national Smithsonian traveling art exhibit. Biographies of Mendoza include one by that same name, “Colors of the Wind,” and “Running Toward the Light.”

Mendoza is a Smithsonian fellow and received the New Mexico State University distinguished alumni award in 2014.

Through his paintings and books, “the world gets to see how I see,” Mendoza said.

Visit GeorgeMendoza.com.