George Mendoza (American 1955) is a painter, author, and motivational speaker known for vividly colored dreamlike compositions inspired by his experience with blindness. Born in New York City, Mendoza lost most of his central vision at age fifteen due to the rare eye disease fundus flavimaculatus. The shifting patterns and kaleidoscopic imagery he continued to perceive became the foundation of his artistic practice. Largely self-taught, Mendoza creates expressive figurative and abstract works that explore memory, spirituality, and human resilience. In addition to his artistic career, he became a record-setting blind athlete, running a mile in 4 minutes and 28 seconds in 1980, and later founded the Wise Tree Foundation to support arts opportunities for individuals with disabilities.