New Mexico is a beautiful place with enchanting sunsets, delicious cuisine, and warm people. It is only fitting that among this splendor you will find magnificent works of art.
Steven Vigil is an up and coming artist creating in New Mexico. As a native to New Mexico and an enthusiastic traveler he is sharing some insight on experiencing the art scene in New Mexico.
How did your career as an artist begin?
Although I always did draw as a kid, it wasn’t until shortly after I turned 21 that I decided to stop fooling around and do something with this maybe ability to kind-of-sort-of paint. I came to this decision in the wake of serious heartbreak and all the boredom and depression that comes with it. I felt that I needed to redefine myself. So I took my $7.50/hr paycheck and bought good canvas, good bars, good acrylic paint, 3 small brushes and crap gesso.
Did your career begin in New Mexico?
I grew up here. My dad is an artist from here. I remember the original Artisans on Canyon Road in Santa Fe. I got my first colored pencil set from there.
Has New Mexico influenced your work?
Sure it has, but maybe not in the way that you expect to hear. NM has somewhat of a reputation as an artsy place. NM is also a very unique in its culture and way of life. It’s got an undeniably magnetic charm and romance to it. So in that sense, yeah, it’s got me. It’s the real life stuff that NM has to offer that has benefited me the most. Things like a higher standard of living. I need space to do art, not too much space, but way more that I could conceive of affording in, oh say, San Francisco. I can afford to be an artist here and I can even save up to travel the world fairly often. The abundance of sun has also been essential to my art. Some of my process-oriented paintings couldn’t be done right without the sun and here I can use the sun year round.
What is the art scene in New Mexico like right now?
A decade ago, I would say that the scene here was stagnant and slow to progress. I feel now that this has started to shift in a significant way. There is now a new generation of artists that are breaking the southwest mould. And with them are a new generation of galleries that are doing the same thing.
In Santa Fe, we have a new railyard district that is the scene of contemporary galleries, breweries, music, and events. And in Albuquerque, there is undercurrent of local art that is pushing its way up in the downtown warehouse/industrial district. Good food joints are popping up everywhere and at least 8 good breweries have popped up in the last few years. What is it about beer, wine, and food that it can be used as an effective measure for an art scene? Peas and carrots I guess, and also a cultures affinity for the pleasures in life.
Do you have any insider tips on where to go see great art?
I’m honestly always looking to answer that for myself. I don’t know them all, but I do have some favorites. Downtown Santa Fe is a good bet to see some great art, though there are heaps of cheesy tourist crap to weed through, but there is such an enormous volume of art here that you are sure to be genuinely impressed at least a few times. I’m constantly finding new stuff that changes the way I approach my own art.
As for Albuquerque, it’s too underground and disjointed at this point to really squeeze a precise location for an endorsement out of me. However, if you are here on a first Friday of any warm month, those inconspicuous cellars and warehouses will roll up there rusty doors and plug in a couple extra lamps to entice you into a rare opportunity to peruse their otherwise hidden galleries and secret studios. On these nights, Albuquerque can seem like it’s bubbling to the brim with artistic vision.
Are you planning on venturing from California to the Land of Enchantment and interested in seeing Steven Vigil’s artwork? Please visit his Facebook page, blog, or website for more information.
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