Collection: Frederick Aragón - Art • Music • Acting & More
One Man’s Tale: Frederick Aragón
Artist • Musician • Songwriter • Actor • Filmmaker
Frederick Aragón is a unique yet common man of Southwestern descent, with Navajo, Hispanic, and Anglo heritage coursing through his veins and influencing his art. His stories, told in music that embraces the soul and paintings that make our hearts beat, lead us to reflect on our choices and how they affect the lives around us. For more than a decade, he made his living as a third-generation railroader, a Western tradition with its own culture, but he never stopped pursuing his art—and indeed expanded the media in which he works.
The Art.
The act of laying paint on canvas is Aragón’s first artistic love. He is known for creating different series of paintings, including the Strong Woman, Taos Dreams, Little Dancers, and Spirit Pony series, among others. His standalone landscapes capture the vastness of the Southwest. They may zoom in on a magpie sailing high over a canyon or juxtapose the magnificence of our environment with Earth’s “pale blue dot” place in the galaxy.
The Strong Woman series combines different cultural and natural elements. “What appeals to me about these images is the swirl and blend of traditions,” he says. “These aren’t near-forgotten old ways, but a vital part of present life in Northern New Mexico.”
Of his Taos Dreams series, he says, “The paintings are more abstract,” he says, “incorporating dreamlike imagery that draws heavily on my interpretation of my Native heritage. Everything is filtered through personal experience, with much consideration given to what will make the most compelling image.”
“Can you imagine the undiscovered—the unseen? Spirit? Prayer? Love, anger, or dark matter? The spaces between us and the known exist. What lies in that? Technologies such as microscopes, radar, ultraviolet light, x-rays, and even 3D glasses allow us to see the previously unseen—and our natural senses, too, enable us to interpret the unspoken and the unseen. In an instant, you know if you’re loved or if anger is directed at you. My most recent work explores the spaces between what we see, what we know, and what we sense.” –Frederick Aragon
The Music.
Aragón’s first CD, “Coyote Tales,” is recommended for listeners embarking on a journey into the Southwest and into themselves. Coyote is renowned throughout Native culture as a trickster-god, but in Aragón’s imagination and music, he becomes both a guide and a mirror, an imperfect creature who tests our sense of right and wrong and often illuminates how the best-laid plans can come back to haunt us
Some three years after the release of “Coyote Tales” came Aragón’s second release, “American Native,” which continues Coyote’s story as new cultures arrive in this ancient land. Like “Coyote Tales,” “American Native” was conceived, written, and composed entirely by the artist. Aragón’s son Ehron coproduced the CD and brought his own considerable musical skills to bear as he performed on keyboards, rhythm and lead guitar, drums, shakers, and rattles, creating a rich, evocative blend of sound.
On his third release, “Can You Feel It?,” Aragón wrote lyrics, composed music, and teamed with music producer Gray LeGere out of Austin, Texas.
“I never imagined I would hear Native American flute paired with a reggae beat, nor would I have ever expected I’d like it. Luckily, Frederick Aragón’s ‘Can You Feel It?’ surprised me. ‘Feel It?’ is unbelievably stylistically varied and musically adept, and Aragón dabbles in electronic, pop, reggae, folk, Irish, orchestrated, R&B and other musical styles to take you on sonic journeys. Holding it all together is his rich voice and soulful flute playing. The whole record puts you at ease quickly and unexpectedly, all the while engaging your ears in something unexpected and unique. This record exemplifies Aragón’s innovation, risk-taking and creative exploration, and it’s inspiring. Go listen, and get a little out of the box.” –Alysha Shaw, The Santa Fe Reporter
In 2022, Aragón teamed with Taos artist, composer, and musician Chris Burton to create his fourth album, “Frontiers,” which received the New Mexico Music Award for Best Native American Music.
Acting and Animation.
Aragón has appeared in two live-action films, “Taos: The Movie” and “Descansos,” as well as appearing in several commercials and television programs. In addition, he was awarded the 2008 State of New Mexico Governor’s Cup/National Geographic All Roads Film Project grant for an animated film based on one of his original songs, “Mystery’s Night.” In 2009, he received the State of New Mexico New Visions Award for a different film based on another of his songs, “Dark Is My Light.” Both tracks appear on the “American Native” CD.
