Cover Art

Street Art

Digital Photo Murals, 14' x 14' and 11' x 22', Chip Thomas

By Colleen Steelquist (steelquistc@spu.edu)

For Chip Thomas, the Navajo Nation’s rural desert is a ready canvas. A physician in the impoverished, isolated community for almost three decades, he spends his off-hours creating large-scale portraits of local residents, hanging the arresting images on roadside stands, abandoned buildings, homes, cisterns — even outhouses.

“I’m reflecting back to the community the beauty they’ve shared with me over the past 27 years,” he says. His artwork amplifies voices advocating for change within the community and spurs pride, hope, and economic growth.

Thomas’ work attracted the attention of Scott Kolbo, associate professor of art at Seattle Pacific University, who invited Thomas to campus in November 2014 to create outdoor murals for the Seattle Pacific Art Center, deliver a lecture, and interact with students. “They learned a lot from watching a professional artist’s working process,” he says.

“I love the way Chip presents positive images of his community while also attempting to draw attention to the social and environmental injustices that have an impact on the people who live in the Navajo Nation.”

Kolbo delights in witnessing passersby stop in their tracks when they encounter the murals on the edge of SPU’s campus. “I think it’s a testament to the longing we all have for beautiful and unexpected experiences in an urban environment,” he says.

Watch a video of Chip Thomas making his art.