mario sanchez (7 october 1908 – 28 april 2005) was a cuban-american folk artist from the key west cigar-making neighborhood known as "gato's village". self-taught, sanchez began working artistically in 1930 on media like paper bags and cedar wood boards. he would come to specialize in bas relief wood carvings that he would then paint over in vibrant colors, usually depicting scenes of everyday key west life. some of his carvings have been valued at more than $50,000.