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The Mission San Xavier del Bac, built circa 1783 south of Tucson, Arizona, is affectionately called “The White Dove of the Desert.” This most famous of the missions founded by Father Eusebio Francisco Kino still ministers to the Papago Indians. Wiggins says, “I tried to capture the spirit of the mission by representing Father Kino passing a dove to a Papago Indian boy. The dove represents the peaceful nature of this tribe. Storm clouds swirl above as a reminder of the struggles these gentle people faced. Not only did they battle nature, but the mission became their only refuge against the constant attacks by the fierce Apache Indians. The mission, home to statues draped in real clothing and brightly painted carvings, is open to the public every day as well as those on pilgrimage."
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Growing up on a ranch in Southern New Mexico, Kim Wiggins began his art
career sculpting miniatures of the wildlife around him. Influenced by his
father, a nationally recognized photojournalist, and mother, a pioneer rodeo
cowgirl, he was encouraged at an early age to pursue the arts.
By the time Wiggins was fourteen he began painting in oil and was working
nights and weekends as a graphic artist for a national equine magazine.
Wiggins' paintings have evolved with a unique, dramatic style. He populates
his dynamic, bold canvases with ribbons of color, bulbous clouds,
expressionistic mountains, sinewy trees and distorted houses.
Among the youngest artists listed in Who's Who in American Art, Wiggins has
been featured in several magazines including a cover story in Wildlife Art
magazine. Wiggins has exhibited his work throughout the country and paintings
are in the permanent collections of the several museums including The Autry
Museum of Western Heritage.
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