Shonto Begay: Big Time

Navajo artist Shonto Begay presents new works at Mark Sublette Medicine Man Gallery.

Mark Sublette Medicine Man Gallery in Tucson, Arizona, will showcase new works by revered impressionist Shonto Begay during a solo exhibition this spring. Begay, who was born in a hogan and raised on the Navajo Nation, bares his heart and soul in his artwork, often using art as a way to both hold and process his memories, feelings and experiences. His pantings, with their characteristic swirling forms and textures, capture the Navajo experience as well as Begay’s own experience. A collector of the artist says, “Shonto Begay’s unique perspective of his life’s journey has allowed him to capture through his art Navajo culture and lands that few others have been able to share.”

Lightning Tree, acrylic on canvas, 48 x 48"

Camp Navajo Pugilists, acrylic on canvas, 34 x 40"

“What I tell young people is ‘paint art like you don’t need the money,’” says Begay. “[Painting is about] honoring my own visions.” The artist explains that in the last few years, he has confined himself to smaller works, under three feet, and now feels the pull toward going bigger, and as a result the exhibition at Medicine Man Gallery will feature more large-scale paintings. “The show brings together various aspects of my life and where I’m at now,” he adds.

The Grandest of Morning View, acrylic on canvas, 72 x 48"

Desert Bloom, acrylic on canvas, 36 x 48"Paintings in the exhibition include Lightning Tree, a painting measuring 48 by 48 inches and rendered in a perspective in which the viewer is at the bottom of the tree looking up; and The Grandest of Morning View, a 72-by-48-inch painting capturing the pure, uninhibited beauty of a quiet morning in a desert powdered with recent snowfall. Other works, like Camp Navajo Pugilists take on a different tone, an energetic piece depicting two men boxing in a ring surrounded by a crowd of spectators.

Beauty Way Bound, acrylic on canvas, 20 x 16"“My biggest challenge is just hanging on to things for the next show. I always enjoy working with Mark,” Begay says of gallery owner Mark Sublette. Shonto Begay: New Works is set to run from April 24 to May 8.