Nic Mendigo

Nic Mendigo

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.”