Virtual Art Tour

Veloy Vigil, Hispanic/Native American, 1931-1997

Untitled Triptych

“A lot of people say my paintings are very emotional,” said former Taos resident Veloy Vigil in an interview for The Santa Fean Magazine. “I try to achieve this important feeling in my work. I want my work to speak to the viewer through the emotion of shape and color, which are my tools of communication. Although my work is abstracted, I try to convey the essence of life in New Mexico. Movement in a canvas is also very important to me. I want my figures to have life, as if they could flow right off the canvas. That’s what I consider a successful painting.”

Born in Denver, Vigil grew up on his family’s farm near Greeley, CO. After high school and a stint in the Marines, where he was wounded three times during the Korean War, Vigil returned to Colorado to study fine art on the GI Bill. His two years of study at the Denver Art Academy and the Colorado Institute of Fine Art led to his immediate employment with American Greeting Card Corp. in Ohio and California. Vigil worked for American and a few other greeting card companies until 1972, when he traveled to Taos and left some of his work with a gallery there. In one week all 15 pieces had sold and the gallery was requesting more paintings. This led Vigil to pursue his art career fulltime and move his family to Taos.

Vigil’s subject matter was his native Southwest. His interest in this subject went back to his ancestors. One branch of his family has been traced back to early Spanish settlers, another branch originated with the Pueblo Indians, while another is of Mexican-American origin.

In an interview for Arizona Arts & Travel magazine, Vigil related that his earliest memories were stories told about his ancestors and his decision to become an artist. “I can’t remember any time when I didn’t want to draw or when I had any serious thoughts about any other subjects but the Indians and other Western figures. I paint Indians for the pure love of it. The subject matter is exciting and lyrical. Shape, color and hues of color come very naturally to my style of painting and to my interpretations of what I feel and see about Indian life.”

Vigil not only created watercolor and acrylic paintings, but also was well versed with many media, including: gouache – a water color paint made opaque by the admixture of white pigment, making it faster drying, denser and more reflective than transparent watercolor; monotypes – a print in which an impression, usually only one, is taken from a metal plate on which a design has been made in oil color or printer’s ink; lithography – where a design is drawn directly on a bed, traditionally of limestone, with a greasy crayon, the stone is wetted, then coated with an oily ink, which clings to the greasy design and is repelled by the wet areas; collage – the use of paper and other basically flat “useful” materials to form a picture or design; handcast paper; mixed media – the use of several different materials in the same work of art; and sculpture – the art of making figures or designs in relief or in the round.

Four methods can be used in sculpturing: subtractive – taking away material, such as carving; additive – building up material, such as modeling with clay; casting – using a mold to pour in substances, such as clay and metals; and assembly – prefabricated elements joined together, such as welding. “My favorite thing, actually, is doodling in small watercolors,”

Vigil once reported in an interview for The Santa Fean Magazine. “If I could do that all day and make a living at it, I think that’s what I’d do. These sketches do serve an important purpose besides helping me to relax, though. They often act as a springboard for ideas which emerge subconsciously in my acrylics and other media.”

Vigil’s works are included in public and private collections throughout the world, including the Heard Museum in Phoenix and the Sir Andrew Grimwade collection in Melbourne, Australia. Vigil had his work exhibited in numerous juried and invitational one-man and group shows throughout his career. These exhibits include the Contemporary American Indian Artists show at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C., the National Academy of Design in New York, traveling exhibitions in museums throughout Mexico and the San Diego Art Museum. His list of awards was extensive and includes his most treasured, the Winslow Homer Memorial Award from the Springfield Art Museum, the All City Outdoor Art Festival Award from the Los Angeles Municipal Art Galleries and the Avery Memorial Award from the Heard Museum.