JP Federico

JP Federico was born and raised in Southern California surrounded and influenced by the art and music of the 1950’s and 60’s. His interest was captured by the style and architecture of the California missions and the vast Mohave Desert regions and molded him artistically. His love for the desert is pure and his art reflects his passion for it.

After serving in the US Navy during the Vietnam War, Federico studied art at El Camino College in Southern California. During the height of the 1970’s recession, Federico moved his family to Ventura, CA to further pursue his study of art at UC Santa Barbara while simultaneously working full time as an accomplished Stone Mason. Later, he served as a firefighter on San Nichols Island until retirement.

In the early 1990’s during his tenure as a firefighter, Federico began replicating rock work on large panels of flagstone and glass. He was represented by KR Martindale Gallery and was well received. Federico was also commissioned by the Department of the Navy to work on the “Cave of the Whales” project on San Nichols Island alongside archeologists to document and replicate the island’s aging petroglyphs. Over the years, his projects have spanned work with J Paul Getty Malibu Museum and everything in between – custom homes to skyscrapers.

Federico’s present work includes paintings, photography of Western landscapes, “Tex-Mex” Southwest furniture and Muñecas (“Desert Dolls”- small and “grande”). Muñecas is Spanish for “doll.” Federico’s Muñecas are primitive Southwest desert dolls influenced by rock art figures of the Southwest and created using found and repurposed materials that he and his wife, Mary, gather along their travels exploring the Southwest desert regions of the United States.

JP Federico is a charter member of the Kingman Center for Arts in Kingman, Arizona which is non-profit organization promoting local art. KCA is deeply involved in the community and hosts art exhibits four times annually.

Today, Jim and Mary Federico reside in a straw bale home they designed and built off the grid in a remote area of Western Arizona near the Wabayuma Wilderness. He is at one with his art in the breathtaking beauty of the Mohave desert.