Tse Ye Mu (Romando Vigil) (1902 – 1978)
Romando Vigil was born in San Ildefonso Pueblo, New Mexico, on 23 January 1902 on the pueblo’s Feast Day. Vigil’s Tewa name Tse-Ye-Mu translates as Falling Water or Falling Cloud. He was the cousin of painter Tonita Peña. His family on both his maternal and paternal sides were potters, and he married into the Martinez family who were renowned San Ildefonso potters. He was schooled as a young boy at the government-run Santa Fe Indian School, where he learned painting from his teacher Elizabeth Robbins. His early painting career began around 1918 when he began painting Pueblo ceremonial dances and figures in his signature stylized manner. His early career is also characterized by his precise coloring on paper. He briefly worked for Walt Disney Studios as a painter and illustrator in the 1950s. Romando Vigil was a leader within the San Ildefonso Watercolor Movement. He used a stylized design to represent his chief interest in painting native ceremonial dance figures. He was a master at creating stylized images with a simple line.