When I'm not carving or painting a piece, I'm collecting raw materials to make new pieces. Most of the techniques I use to make retablos, bultos, and hide paintings are similar to those used throughout the 1600s and 1700s by New Mexican santeros. For my work, I use many natural materials. Dark magenta and light pink colors come from cochinilla beetles. I use indigo for dark blue. I make my own gesso and I use a homemade piñon sap varnish and natural beeswax to seal and polish the finished pieces. I also do my own tinwork for bultos.
My family ancestry goes back centuries in northern New Mexico. My strong catholic background was primarily influenced by my grandmother. She prayed to the saints for her family's protection and helped me understand their significance in daily life. Her unwavering faith helped broaden my understanding of religious iconography and influened me to become a santero.
My artistic training began with painting using contemporary methods. Later, I took classes from local santeros and santeras, who taught me the traditional methods for making Spanish Colonial art. I enjoy researching historical details and finding inspiration for my work.
In the late 1700s increasing numbers of religious images made in New Mexico took their place alongside imported pieces in churches and homes. Paintings of saints on wooden panels (retablos) and carved statues (bultos) were produced from local and imported vegetal and mineral pigments. Pinon sap was used as a sealer and varnish.
Paintings of subjects on tanned animal hides represent some of the earliest documented religious images made during the Spanish colonial period in New Mexico. Painted hides were produced in New Mexico throughout most of the 1600s and 1700s.
