5 Famous Artists from Arizona

We might be experts at painting Arizona homes inside and out, but when it comes to fine art, we tip our hats to these famous Arizona artists. Some were born here, some were drawn here, and a few built careers far from the desert before finding their way back.

5 Famous Arizona Artists Worth Knowing

Fritz Scholder

Born in Minnesota and a member of the Luiseño tribe, Fritz Scholder later made Scottsdale his home. He became known for Pop Art influenced paintings of Native American life, which stirred controversy for rejecting the romanticized imagery common at the time.

Ed Mell

Born in Phoenix, Ed Mell worked as a commercial artist in New York before returning to Arizona, drawn back by the desert landscapes that became the heart of his work.

Philip Curtis

Originally from Michigan, Philip Curtis came to Phoenix in the 1930s to lead the Federal Art Project’s Phoenix Art Center, which helped pave the way for the Phoenix Art Museum. The reclusive Surrealist is best known for dreamlike scenes of people in Victorian dress doing strange, unexpected things.

Jackson Pollock

Born in Wyoming, Jackson Pollock spent part of his early childhood on a family farm in the Phoenix area. Did his famous drip style start with finger paintings in the Arizona desert? We’ll probably never know.

Ted DeGrazia

Born in the mining town of Morenci, Ted DeGrazia was a true polymath: painter, sculptor, composer, designer, architect, jeweler, and more. He studied art at the University of Arizona, and his Gallery in the Sun in Tucson still welcomes visitors today.

Does all this art talk have you craving a new look for your home? Leave the drip technique to Pollock. If you’re looking for Arizona house painters rather than fine art, our team handles interior and exterior painting across the state. Get a free quote today!