José Francisco Treviño

José Francisco Treviño passed away on Sunday, June 26, 2022 at the age of 81, surrounded by family and friends. He was born on June 9, 1941 to Lydia White and José Mendez Treviño. He is survived by his beloved wife, Modesta Barbina Treviño, his daughter Marisol Treviño, son-in-law David Miller, son Rene Silvas and granddaughter Crystal Silvas. He is also survived by his brother Rudy Treviño and two sisters, Stella Treviño and Betty Cardona. In addition, José is survived by numerous nieces and nephews, including Jeff, Jeremy, Jesse, Maria, Michelle, Chris, Zachary, Gregg, Victor, Gracie and Veronica.

José was one of Austin’s most gifted and productive artists, as well as an art educator, teacher and mentor to many of Austin’s talented artists, including Liliana Wilson, Carlos Lowry and Herbie Augustin. An Austin native of mixed Mexican and Italian heritage, José graduated from Travis High School in Austin where he demonstrated his talent at a very young age, selling his artwork at the Country Store Gallery on Guadalupe St. while in high school. His art teacher used him as an instructional aide in drawing and painting.

After high school graduation, his art teacher introduced him to the Texas Education Agency where he was hired as an illustrator, a position he also held with the Southwest Educational Laboratory in the 1970s, providing masterful illustrations for textbooks and other curriculum materials. His drawings and paintings were published and distributed through the Dissemination Center for BIlingual Education in Austin.

A hard-working and prolific artist, José exhibited widely in various museums and galleries throughout the country and has been featured extensively in art publications. His retrospective exhibit at the Mexic-Arte Museum included more than 130 paintings, drawings and sculptures covering his work from the early days of his childhood to the present. Thanks to the artist’s preservation of his work, Mexic-Arte was able to create a unique opportunity for art lovers to witness and explore the development, interest, and personal life of an artist over a span of several decades.

In lieu of flowers (although flowers are fine too), please consider a donation to aid the victims of the Uvalde school shooting or a donation of blood at your local blood bank:

https://www.gofundme.com/f/mtdrdc-texas-elementary-school-shooting-victims-fund

“The spirit of Treviño’s artwork does not pertain to the individual, but consequently to the community and its sacred traditions, a continuum. The indigenous concept that humanity occupies the land for a short period on borrowed time attests to the wide experience of artistic expression that José Treviño has manifested, as if in a quest to fulfill his earthly task of expounding and redefining his talent to its utmost.” – Santa Barraza

"Earth does not belong to us; we belong to earth. Take only memories, leave nothing but footprints." - Chief Seattle