Northwest artist Val Laigo was a romantic visionary, a dandy, a wild man, a Renaissance man, a stargazer, an irrepressible conversationalist, and a regular guy. He had a short fuse but a long reach. Born with two holes in his heart, he was not expected to live, but he defied all predictions of his early death. He died in 1992 at the age of sixty-two. Laigo’s life was just as bright and bold as the body of work he produced, art that fascinated some viewers and puzzled others.
The author brings insights into the forces that shaped both the life and work of this Filipino-American artist. She explores Laigo’s creativity in terms of racial and cultural stereotypes, life-threatening illness and psychological factors, such as the murder of his father when Laigo was six years old. Take a walk on the wild side with a very special artist and human being.
