Phillip Vigil is one of the exciting, young native painters working today.  His modernist designs are a play on his life, culture and personal experiences.  Phillip has primarily been working on paper, but the transition to canvas has been an exciting change in his art.  In a 2011 “Rethinking Contemporary Native American Art” article in “THE” magazine, they included Vigil saying,  “Phillip Vigil seeks his identity as a contemporary creative type who is also an indigenous person.  He is self-taught, inspired to paint by his love of the comic strip Calvin & Hobbes”.

This painting, “Rain”, is a large scale piece painted on canvas.  Phillip said of this piece:

“’Rain’ is about the rains which come during the monsoons throughout our southwestern summers.  The big thunder clouds build up in the distance and the you can see the rain flowing downward from them.  I currently live in Jemez Pueblo and here, rain is our everything.  It sustains our people or grows the chili or corn which are part of my daily life.

The recent droughts have put a strain on Pueblo life and has caused me to reflect on the importance of water to me, the pueblo and our culture.  The cleansing, sustaining rains which come each summer remind me that Water is Life.”

We are pleased to represent his paintings in our Scottsdale gallery and look for more from this amazing artist!