DANNY VIGIL

fine art

La Voz

LA VOZ Nueva, February 9, 2005 by Don Bain

Currently on display at the Chicano Humanities and Arts Council (CHAC), 772 Santa Fe Drive, is a 16-piece exhibit of the works of Danny Vigil, part of the CHAC:ECLECTIC show. It is one of the most remarkable to recently appear in the hallowed halls of the artist co-op. 

The 35-year-old Denver native actually spent his formative years in the Highlands Ranch area, before it became a developed subdivision, commuting to Castle Rock for school. “Back then Castle Rock was not what it is today – it was a ranching community,” Vigil said. His youth was different from other Latinos in another significant way – his father home-schooled him to be an artist from a very early age.

“My father was a very talented artist,” he said. “He knew the basics of art though he wasn’t trained beyond high school art and ultimately went into a career in programming. But he originally wanted to be an artist, so he taught me. As early as elementary school I knew all the basics of perspective, drawing, life drawing and landscapes.” He continued art classes through high school and college yet still considers his father one of his foremost artistic influences.

His works are realistic portraits and images frequently brimming with life. For example, in the oil painting titled Blue Hat, you can almost hear the girl in the sombrero azul thinking “Didn’t he even notice me?” as she gazes to her right. In Taco Stand you’ll notice how Vigil can bring out the essence of a subject. You see the man’s focus on the food preparation, feel the warm sun on his hat and shirt and nearly hear the festivities about you.

He paints from the hip, from the soul and never lets the canvas dry while he’s working on it – a technique known as Alla Prima. “Each painting basically is done very quickly while the paint’s still wet. It never has a chance to set, so that’s what gives it its fluidity. There’s two reasons for that: I like the way it looks because it is spontaneous, it is fresh – it’s something you don’t have a lot of time to think about; and I don’t have the patience to work a lot longer and keep it interesting. It’s more difficult to go back in and start working with paint once it’s dry – a least for me it is.”

In many ways, Vigil shows the vision and style of more experienced artists, such as
Michelle Torres, yet he works with a much smaller brush. In Black Boots, you can clearly
see the sparkle of life in the intensity of the young woman’s gaze, a prime example of his portrait style.

“When you’re in high school and college you get a barrage of influences from your instructors and from your peers. Everyone’s got a new artist they’re working on that week and so you’re constantly changing your style according to what you’re really into that week. No matter what, I always came back to the realists. Whether it was modern or contemporary, realism was always the thing that made my jaw drop. If you look at enough abstract art, you can understand it on an academic level, but there’s just something about a painting which, on a base level, you don’t have to have explained to you. You don’t have to read a statement. You don’t have to understand the concept behind it. It is just what it is. And that’s what appeals to me. It’s more about controlling the medium than it is about controlling the message. To me, it’s the technique – not the story or subject.” And yet the subjects and their stories come through.

Vigil’s roots are revealed in his renderings of the dancers in Green Shawl and Red Duet. The latter is a masterful study in red, black, white and flesh tones. The Old Girl is a painting of a cat from which you can readily feel the subject’s haughty disdain that the artist is stroking the canvas instead of her more deserving backside. Romina is a lovely portrait and study of the way soft, natural light illuminates a face. Young Katie is a close-in study of the same young lady in Black Boots. She has those same bright, lively eyes which seem destined to become a Vigil trademark.

Vigil’s goal is to capture the essence of a subject or moment. Or to record the kodachrome image locked in his memory. “The goal is not to capture a moment but rather the emotional feeling of that moment. It’s the memory of a moment idealized and there’s nothing wrong with that.” We heartily agree.

The paintings in this exhibit range from 11 by 14 to 18 by 24 inches. They are priced from $650 to $1100. If you have ever even remotely considered collecting art, we can’t think of a better place to start than one of Vigil’s oils. The purpose of art is to feed the spirit, but we’ll lay you odds his work will appreciate. And 10 years from now, we suspect you’ll pay a lot more for a Danny Vigil original.

The exhibit runs only through Feb. 12 and also features displays of works by Mike Juarez, Javier Flores, Josiah Lopez and Rogelio Quiñones. For more information call 303-571-0440 or visit DannyVigil.com.