Mountain Art

Nic Mendigo is the High Country Art Gallery July Artist of the Month

A native of the Philippines, Nic Mendigo made his way to the White Mountains of Arizona in December 2005, 15 years after his arrival in the United States.

With a degree in Fine Art majoring in painting, he worked as art teacher at Seven Mile Elementary School and Canyon Day Jr. High School before going to work for the Whiteriver Unified School District. Later on he taught Special Education at WUSD in self-contained and resource classes. After Covid 19 appeared, he decided to take a break from teaching and concentrate full time on his painting. His love of the outdoors sings through his landscapes of soft pastels depicting the intensity of what is painted from a storm over the mountaintops to a serene stream. “When I work, I like to capture the raw emotion or mood of the moment. I like my paintings to speak to my audience,” he says. “I am successful when they feel a strong connection with my artwork.”

His arresting charcoal portraits capture the human essence. “I’ve always wanted the world to notice the ordinary, the unwanted, the neglected, the uncared for. While everyone glorifies the glamorous world, I set eyes on the unnoticed.”

His work will be on display at the High Country Art Gallery, 13A E. White Mountain Blvd., in Pinetop across from the Safeway Center during July. The Gallery is open Tuesday-Sunday, 11 am to 4 pm.

Wanna know what’s going on?

Like us on Facebook to hear about it as soon as we do. Read archived articles at themaverickmagazine.com

Summer Hours

Tuesday - Saturday from 10am to 4pm.

Find Your Creative Side:

AAWM Center for the Arts

EVERY THURSDAY

Paint With Friends is held every Thurs. from 10am to 2pm at the Arts Alliance of the White Mountain Center for the Arts, 251 Penrod Road. Open to the public. Bring an art project and work with other artists. Socialize and help each other. Bring a lunch if you like. Participation is free. For more info, call the Center at 928-532-2296.

1ST SATURDAY OF EACH MONTH

Music Jam is hosted by the AAWM Center for the Arts on the first Sat. of each month from 2PM to 4PM. Bring your instrument and jam. In general acoustic instruments are preferred. The public is welcome to come and listen and enjoy the event.

2ND FRIDAY OF EACH MONTH

The Center for the Arts Book Hub meets on the second Friday of each month from 10:30am to noon. A group of individuals all read the same book and meet to discuss it. If you are interested in next month's book selection, please email azaawm@gmail.com

2ND SATURDAY OF EACH MONTH

Lakeside Writers exists to support and encourage writers in the White Mountains of Arizona through critique groups and support of marketing efforts of local published writers. Writers of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, plays and screenplays are invited to participate. The group meets the 2nd Sat. of each month - check their website for times.

3RD SATURDAY OF EACH MONTH

A Native Flute Circle will meet at the Arts Alliance of the White Mountains on the 3rd Saturday of each month at the Center for the Arts. New and experienced flute players are invited to join as well as anyone interested in listening to the music. Meeting times are from 2pm to 4pm.

2ND & 4TH THURS. EACH MONTH

The Show Low Writer’s Workshop is offered at the AAWM Center for the Arts on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of each month from 10am until noon. These workshops are free to the public. Beginner to expert writers are invited to attend.

LAST FRIDAY OF EACH MONTH (BETWEEN FEB & OCT)

The Arts Alliance of the White Mountains expanded our Cork ‘n Canvas evenings in 2018. Beginning in February and running through October, on the last Friday of each month, we host our Cork ‘n Canvas. We’d like to invite you to join us from 5pm to 7pm and socialize with the artists. We have live music. Our sponsors provide wine and hors d’oeuvres. It’s a good time to check out what’s new in the gallery and find out about upcoming events and classes. Suggested donation of $7.

For more info on any of these events, please stop by the Arts Alliance of the White Mountains Center for the Arts at 251 Penrod Road in Show Low or call 928-532-2296.

2nd Annual AAWM Photography Show

As Art Shows at the Center for the Arts has continued to grow, the space for the shows have not. As such, in 2020 AAWM removed Photography from the Bi-Annual Art Shows and created a show all on it's own. This year the 2nd Annual Photography Show will run from June 25th through July 9th with an awards presentation to be held on July 10th at 11am. Entries are due at the Center on June 23 by noon. Entry forms can be found at http:// www.aawmcenterforthearts.com.