Orlando Pelaez has been living and working in this country for many years, first in New York City and currently in Indianapolis. While in New York he studied drawing and painting at the Art Students' League of New York, the School of Visual Arts, and the Academy of Fine Arts. Before moving to the states, he graduated from the Art School of the University of Antioquia in Medellin, Colombia, where he studied commercial art, drawing and painting with Colombian masters. While working at the United Nations in New York, he met Alesa Stanley of Indianapolis, married her in 1975 and moved to that city in pursuit of a more peaceful place.

For the past twenty-five years, most of his artwork has been inspired by pure imagination, as well as many visual images that he has stored away in his memory from many art and photography books he has read. In many cases, he has attributed his work inspiration to Latin American music. In June 2001, he was awarded a Grant Fellowship from the Arts Council of Indianapolis, with which he plans to explore his art more deeply. The Artist will travel to Mexico to explore, through his art, the beauty and splendor of this romantic country.