Curtiss Ross Sanchez, 71, born and raised in Chicago Illinois, died in Kenosha, Wisconsin on December 19, 2023.
Curtiss was predeceased by his parents, Robert and Elizabeth, sister Deborah and brother Robert. He is survived by his daughter Megan, his sisters Roberta and Michelle, ex-wife Rosi, two dear nieces, two nephews, and many cousins and friends.
Curtiss’ life was an artful journey. Before earning his B.F.A from the Art Institute of Chicago in 1980, he studied in Perugia, Italy at Pierro Vanucci Academia della Belle. He would again return to Perugia, Italy where he began a family with Rosi, raising their daughter Megan.
Curtiss was an accomplished guitarist and would occasionally play and sing at local clubs in the 70’s, sometimes performing with his sister Deborah and then in the 80’s with Michelle.
He loved to play guitar outdoors in the summer months on the front porch of his family’s home in Chicago, where he would serenade the neighborhood. He also enjoyed playing his 12-string guitar while sitting along the rocks on Lake Michigan in Illinois.
He was a big fan of the Beatles but also played his own music and wrote his own lyrics.
He became a traveler at heart. He loved the sunshine and sand of the island paradise of Montserrat, where he once volunteered as an art teacher in the United States Peace Corps.
After Curtiss moved on from the Arcosante art community in Mayer, Arizona, he headed to China where he resided for a year and taught students design at Huazhong University of Science and Technology. This is where he was known as Teacher of Mandala.
Curtiss has archived over 30,000 of his mandala paintings. His life’s work of Mandalas was his love. He called it “The Continuum Series”, which was the process of his daily art diary, in watercolor and other mediums, to express the moments of his life that were at the clearest point of focus.
Creating his mandalas daily was his greatest source of peace and his place of spiritual meditation.
As per Curtiss Sanchez’s request, no funeral or memorial service will be held. Rather, he requested that you read his infamous words and “feel good.”
