CHAC Gallery Dia de los Muertos Show 2009

Hola!

Well as you all know October was a terrible month for us and slowly things are getting better and our hearts are healing.

Rob had to literally push me into getting pieces done in time for the Dia de los Muertos show at the gallery, not to mention we also rented a room at the gallery and have several upcoming shows. So, I thank him for being such a loving and supportive husband through these difficult times, he is the best!!!

The show at the gallery has been great, our skull silent auction is doing very well this year, which means we will have money for the children's art classes that the gallery has once a month. We had two high schools and two elementary schools participate in this years show and all of the students did a great job on their calaveras.

Last night was first Friday and the Denver art walk. Rob's prints and mini retablos did really well and many bracelets were bought as Christmas gifts, yay! Wait, that means I have to sit in my studio all day tomorrow playing with beads...

Raymond Isaac Acosta

Raymond Isaac Acosta
Raymond was born on December 2nd, 1981
to Linda Acosta and John Armijo in Denver, CO.
Born with a congenital heart defect, his parents were told that he had a 20% chance of making it through the night, but being the fighter he was, he made it through that first night.
Raymond lost his father John when he was five years old and he quickly became the little man of the house, he and his mother took care of one another.
He also made it through the next nine years before being told that he would need a new heart and he was placed on the heart transplant list. On Halloween night in 1991, a 12 year old girl died in San Francisco, her family selflessly gave her heart for donation and Raymond received that precious gift. He was the Ambassador for Children’s Hospital in 1991 and those that took care of him at the hospital called him “A fighter, courageous, delightful, thoughtful, and a charmer”!
Raymond’s body often struggled with this new heart and each time the doctors would give an even stronger anti-rejection medicine.
He was a fighter, he prevailed through each rejection with a thirst for life and each of his family members and friends rallied behind him.
He went through the challenging times of being a teenager and his mother often turned to his older siblings to come speak with him, give him advice, or even just give a good scolding to him.
Raymond’s life came to an abrupt end on October 11, 2009, but in all actuality a part of him died on January 23rd, 2002 when his mother passed away. She was the stabilizing force in his life and her death was the final blow for Ray. He survived without his mother for seven years, however much of that time was just existing for him. Ray maintained the same job for eight years. He also maintained relationships and had many friends. Let us all be grateful for the time spent with him.

Raymond was preceded in death by both of his parents Linda and John.

He is survived by his Grandfather Raymond Acosta, Grandmother Erma Acosta, Grandmother Alice Armijo.
His brothers; Michael and Domingo Armijo.
His sisters; Joann Armijo, Janine Sandoval, and Lauren Aguirre.
Aunt and Godmother Gloria Rico Duran and Uncle Rick Duran,
Godfather Pat Vigil, Godson Hector Herrera
Aunt Kat Alexis and Uncle Michael Gallegos,
Uncle John and Aunt Michelle Acosta.
Numerous other Aunts, Uncles, cousins and friends.

The family of Raymond would like to thank you for your support, prayers, and condolences during this difficult time in our lives. May the Lord reward you for your kindness, grace, and mercy that you have shown us, in Jesus name, Amen.

A Heavy Heart...

Yes, my heart has been heavy all week. A very special member of our family, Raymond (my cousin/god brother) has gone home to be with the Lord. This past week has been a whirlwind of planning, running around, and today, well today it is finally reflection. Reflections of this young man as a baby, a young child, a teenager. All those memories hitting me at once. I know it is never easy for those that are left behind, I know time heals all pain and heartache. Raymond went through these same things I am describing when his mother (my aunt) passed away seven years ago, so I guess what I am trying to say is, how proud I was of Raymond, he went through many trials throughout his young life, and he did and gave his best. I am thankful that he had so many that loved and cared about him, but I know he is where he is supposed to be...and tonight we will say goodbye.

Vaya con Dios
Walk with the Lord

I will be posting his bio next so that his friends in different states may view

Santos

Hola! Yes we are still here, we used the month of September to rest and get a head start on both the Dia de los Muertos show and stocking up on holiday pieces for when we rent our room at the gallery in November and December.

Rob has debuted his mini retablo collection in the Etsy store. They are priced perfectly to give as gifts for Christmas or if you just like Santos! I haven't put much on 1000markets since it's still pretty slow there. Anymore it seems that we do much better in the gallery than online. Art is such a personal thing and it always helps to see it in person.

I am working on pieces still, but I too find that sales are better offline. This is my busiest time of year and when I get commissioned the most. I've also been working on making polymer clay beads with religious icon images on them and that has been really fun. Sometimes you just never know what you're capable of until you just try! A new jewelry collection is right around the corner, I'll keep this updated often.

Fall came early to Denver, it has been very cool around here, but still beautiful!

Well off to catch up on my favorite blogs!

Hola, how are you!

Well we are finally done with our shows for awhile, whew!! It has been a busy summer for us and although we have enjoyed meeting new people, clients, and friends, we couldn't be more happier for this new time of rest.

Rob won the Chili Verde award at the Chili Harvest festival this past weekend, the award is for BEST new artist in the festival, I am so happy for him and he appreciates it greatly! The festival was really great with the first days attendance hitting 1900 people, Sunday was a little cool so we didn't get as many people out that day, but all in all it was a huge success. Our lovely director from CHAC gallery did a most impressive job getting this all put together with the city of Lakewood and we are thankful for all her hard work!

We also took Michael and Nezzie (our niece and nephew) with us to the festival, they had a great time creating endless works of art at all the kids stations, and especially loved having their picture taken as Frida and Diego!

We have made new pieces and they are slowly getting listed in the Etsy shop,

Rob has some fantastic new paintings available too.

Until mañana, buenas noches

Soul of the Southwest Collection

In a previous post I wrote about how much the Land of Enchantment moves me, how lucky I am to call both states of Colorado and New Mexico my homes. Colorado with it's majestic mountains and New Mexico with it's vibrantly colorful desert. New Mexico though, holds my abuelito's legacy and childhood and now present memories that keep me intrigued with the Southwest . I could write a book with all the stories my buelito told me and add my own too! New Mexico is spiritual, quiet, vast, a place where you could almost hear God speaking to you. It is a place we go to when we need to recharge and meditate, finding inspiration from nature, churches that have been there for what seems like forever, and of course familia.

This is why I have started the Soul of the Southwest collection, the pieces I have made thus far have received good comments and people that have bought them have really found something personal in them, something that touches their soul. So...I will continue to make them and hopefully start listing more of them on Etsy. We still have the Chili Harvest Festival this coming weekend and then a break for about a month, then it's the Dia de los Muertos group show at the gallery.

This newest piece is called A Rose Grows and can be found on Etsy until the weekend when I show at the Chili Harvest Festival.

Friday Night Art Show at Bonacquisti Wine Company

We had another art reception at the Bonacquisti wine company this past friday evening. We had lots of fun visiting with friends, family, and all the new people we met!

The lighting in there isn't the greatest but I gave it my best shot. I love how Rob set up the table with Sacred Heart and Virgen de Guadalupe art.

We both did really well both on the 1st and then this past Friday, so we are very happy!!

Rob is currently working on more paintings and I am working on my necklaces/bracelets for the Chili Harvest Festival at the end of August. We feel like summer has completely passed us by, it seems like just a short while ago it was May, where oh where has summer gone?!

Windy Flirt

This past weekend was First Friday down at the CHAC gallery. Since our art show opening reception was last Saturday at the wine company we were able to attend. We don't often have time to go down and fight the crowds of people, but we made an exception this time. This month's group show Somos Aztlan was a handful of our favorite artists and friends-Stevon Lucero, Daniel Luna, Michael Canada, Mike Penny, Javier Flores, David Garcia and Robert Maestas. It was a lively, colorful show and if we had more deniro we probably would have bought one piece from all of them!!

What we did purchase was a gorgeous painting titled "Windy Flirt" by Daniel Luna. I have always loved his art from the moment I first saw it at the gallery. The colors are deep and vibrant, the stories exciting and funny! You can find out a little more about Daniel here. This will be our 4th piece and that still isn't enough, the mannequin is titled "Eggplant Dawn" and the last piece shown is titled "Cross Ponchos"! Daniel also does the art work for the wine labels at the Bonacquisti wine company where we are currently showing.

We also bought a carved stone piece from Mike Penny, we have that outside and I will post pics of all our outside art later.

We have had some down time, but we are now getting ready for the Chile Harvest Festival where many of us from CHAC gallery will be showing for the weekend, this festival is alway fun and the smell of chilis roasting always is a plus!

Please remember that Artwork images are copyright of the artist

We can finally breathe...

Rob and I have been working in a frenzy this past couple of weeks trying to get ready for the Art & Wine show at the Bonacquisti wine company. Rob completed some amazing pieces and to finally see them up on the wall instead of on the floor of the studio, well let me just say I am so excited for the rest of the world to see them!! I finished many pieces as well and am really pleased with the way they turned out.

Our camera died this past Monday, I bought another and haven't had quite enough time to take any pics of the new pieces. We decided to wait until the show today and take pictures there.

We will have a few days to just take a breather and then it's back to the workshops to get ready for the Chile Harvest festival at the end of the month.

Have a happy weekend!!

Wine and Art...

...on a Saturday afternoon, sounds like fun to me!

We would like to invite you to our opening reception of Wine & Art at the Bonacquisti Wine Company. Rob will be showing his new collection of Primitive folk art paintings and Santero art work and I will be showing my newest mixed media jewelry pieces featuring Frida Kahlo and Dia de los Muertos art.

We would like to thank Paul & Judy Bonacquisti for inviting us to show in their fabuloso urban winery right here in Denver.

We look forward to seeing all our friends and family and enjoying some great wine!

SALUD!!!

La Cultura and Tattoos...

What is it about the latino cultura that makes us want to go out and put ink our bodies? Well, I've thought about that a lot lately and after hosting a tattoo party at our casa, I understand a little more why we do it...

This is me with my new Jesus in the cross tattoo. I chose this because I love Jesus and I'm not afraid to say or show that. My heart belongs to Jesus, Rob, and my sons Randy and Devin. This is not quite finished, still going to add my favorite book/chapter of the bible~Isaiah 53 down the side of the cross and maybe some flames around the top part of the cross.

This is Besina's Rose~She is getting married next month and had tatted some intials when she was much younger, mira no more reminders of the past just a beautiful rosa and a wonderful fiance!

Cousin Tone like skulls and he's old school! Our tattoo artist and good friend Brian drew this design freehand.
Tres Primas! Mona is my baby cousin and Isaias is married to my cousin Ray. There just wasn't enough time for everyone to get their ink! Isaias is going to get a beautiful Dia de los Muertos lady on her upper shoulder blade soon!

Cousin Cardo getting his first tat, he chose the "Smile now, Cry later" theater masks. I told him he should fit in with all the other vato loco gangstas!

I believe if you are going ink up your body you should really put a lot of thought into your design and where you're going to put it. Rob and I have day jobs in a professional atmosphere and we put our tattoos in places that don't holler "Look at me"! Some get them to cover up mistakes from the past, and still some get them just because they want to and don't care where they put them. Remember folks, this is forever! Be tasteful, create something beautiful and then yeah go for it if that's what you really want to do. Our tattoo artist and friend is Brian Ulibarri and you can check out more of his work here. Brian is also a very talented artist as well as a member with us at Chicano Humanities and Arts Council gallery here in Denver.

I love this!!!

Can you believe how generous Sharon of LiveWire Jewelry is to be having such a wonderful giveaway over at her blog?!

Sharon's necklace titled "Always Faithful" was published in the Bead Trends Magazine/Book and to show her appreciation and her gratefulness she is offering up this beautiful necklace to one lucky winner! To find out how you can be entered into this giveaway head over to Sharon's blog now, you can find it here .

Be sure to check out her Etsy shop too, you will find so many different wonderful pieces, some rustic, some devotional, all of them beautiful! She is also a wonderful inspiration to all of us here in blogland ;)

La Familia!

Rob and I dashed off to New Mexico for the weekend, spending a little time with mi familia, but mostly just enjoying our weekend hunting down tesoros!

Our first stop was the Albuquerque flea market where we found a guy who buys estates and then takes the goods to the flea market to sell off, we purchased a very old statue of Santo Nino de Praga and some old trinkets for me to add into some jewelry pieces. The next stop was the Old Town plaza where we always stop into the church gift shop to purchase devotional art from the local artists and a shop called Santisma to check out some Dia de los Muertos art, didn't buy anything there, but the art was amazing! Next stop was My Tio Paul and Tia Ruth's 50th wedding anniversary party at my cousin Katie's hacienda. It was nice to see all the cousins and be able to spend a few hours with the rest of la familia.

Sunday morning was spent in Madrid checking out some of the galleries, then on to Chimayo at the Santuario, where Rob added a few more pieces of art to the gallery. I was also able to check out the newly remodeled Santo Nino chapel, it is gorgeous!!! We bought some biscochitos and played in the river that is right beside the stations of the cross and took more pictures. Then it was off to Taos to find our friend Pablo who makes crosses out of found objects, the best part of this visit was that he blessed us with a cross that is titled Halo, I'll post a pic of it soon. The last stop heading back to Colorado was the Rio Grande Gorge, Rob talked me into getting out and exploring a little, yep I'm afraid of heights, so this was a brave new step for me!

Well that was our weekend fun, what do you all have planned for the remainder of the summer?! Can you believe it's already the middle of July, I really never want summer to end!

Stay tuned, I'm going to post about a very special person who is having a very special giveaway on her blog...

Party in the Barrio

Oh it's that time of year, people want to go out and baile! And what does la gente do when the weekend rolls around, they go to the local dancehall or bar to get their party on! This painting is so fun and could be considered mature, but it's still all about fun in the land of enchantment where people from small towns don't have much to do!

Here are my newest polyclay beads, not much but it's a start. I'm trying to incorporate some girly colors into some new pieces, you know try to summer things up a little! They are waiting to be sanded and made purty. I love being able to make different designs and colors!

¡Venga mire lo que es nuevo!

¡Venga mire lo que es nuevo! Come look at what is new!

Rob has already sold two of the big paintings he just finished, I managed to talk him into letting me put the other three in the Etsy shop! We have had a good response to them, starting with all of our wonderful and encouraging friends who visit our blog here and our friends from the gallery. They are what we call primitive folk art paintings and he is having alot of fun creating them. They all capture the essence of life in New Mexico or any latino community for that matter. I get excited to see what will go on each painting and often go out to see the work progress, the colors are bold and the stories they tell, perfecto!

I created two new necklaces over the weekend, Wild Rosa in creams and browns and Santa Fe Sunrise in orange and aqua. I have just finished making and baking a bunch of polymer clay beads and hope to incorporate those into some new bracelets this week. I really feel some pinks and purples coming on...

Fun Time!

I've been tagged by Sandra of Marbella Designs, I'm not the best at these so here it goes...

What is your current obsession?

My current obsession is making polyart clay beads, cuff bracelets, and taking enameling classes.

What is your weirdest obsession?

Making sure all the doors are locked each time we leave the house, even when I know they are locked.

What are you wearing today?

Jean shorts and a sage green tank top, my usual Sunday outfit.

What is for dinner?

Red chili with brown rice, we're trying to cut back on carbs and staying away from fried foods. (Do you know how hard this is for a latina?!)

What would you eat for your last meal?

A ribeye steak topped with bleu cheese, mashed potatoes, and asparagus.

What was the last thing you bought?

Rob bought me a new table lamp for my work studio.

What are you listening to right now?

Nothing but nature and the sound of kids playing a few houses down.

What is your favorite ice cream flavor?

Peanut butter cookie dough.

What do you think of the person who tagged you?

I love how beautiful Sandra's fine silver pieces are, the detail on them has to take lots of patience. Her blog is fun too!

If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go?

Spain, of course! It's such a beautiful place.

What is your favorite color?

Purple

What language would you like to learn?

I would have to say German, I took it in high school and really liked it.

What is your favorite piece of clothing in your own wardrobe?

Don't really have any favorites, I like them all.

What is your favorite TV show?

I don't watch much TV, when I do I'm usually watching CSI or the Cleaner.

If you had $100 right now what would you spend it on?

Tickets to the Earth, Wind, and Fire/Chicago concert!

Favorite Artist(s)?

Daniel Luna, Stevon Lucero, Theresa Duran, my husband Rob, Frida

What is your favorite season?

Hands down summer! I love the freedom of being outside.

Describe your personal style?

During the work week it is business casual-On weekends it's very comfortable and laid back style.

What are you going to do after this?

Get our clothes ready for the week, sand my beads, watch a bit of the news.

What are your favorite movies?

The Godfather, Slingblade, Selena, Heaven and Earth, Lonesome Dove

What's your favorite fruit?

Cherries

What inspires you?

God, nature, familia, color

What music do you like this week?

Old school rhythm and blues

What is your dream job?

I was once going to be a doctor.

What's stopping you?

Money and I wanted to raise my children, not be away from them.

If you could change something in the world to make it a better place what would it be?

That we as human beings would take care of our homeless, it's not up to the government to do this for them, so I suppose I would like people to have compassion, mercy, love, and kindness.

What do you have planned for tomorrow?

Work my day job and come home and do some art work.

What is your favorite city?

Chicago was a blast, the food and entertainment were the best!

What art technique would you like to learn next?

I want to take a drawing/painting class.

Well there you have it, a little about me. Not sure who to pick for this, I know not everyone likes to be tagged, but here is my list:
Prairie Emporium
LiveWire Jewelry
Summers Studio
Adobe Sol

The rules:
1. Respond and rework; answer the questions on your blog, replace one question that you dislike with a question of your invention, add one more question of your own.
2. Tag eight other people or however many you would like.

Goodnight all ;)

Such a Colorful Summer Giveaway!

Allen Designs is having a wonderful Goody Giveaway that includes 3 favorite designs as prizes ! To find out how to be entered in this giveaway visit Michelle's blog here, the contest ends July 3rd and she is offering up some great pieces that I know you will love!
If you have never checked out Michelle's Etsy shop, head over there now, her art is fun, colorful, and makes me happy! The art blox are my favorites :)

Finally!

Summer is here, and I am so darn happy that I'm having a summer sale on all the jewelry in our Etsy shop!
All bracelets are $25
Necklaces are $55
We have another show coming up too, so I'll be getting ready for that and have to do a necklace and bracelet set for a silent auction at St. Dominics here in Denver. I'll also be posting Rob's new primitive folk art paintings soon.
Have a good day everyone.

Pops...

...the rock of our family! He is a father to two boys that were mine but are now his. He is an artist of devotional art. He is a football coach to high school boys, teaching them about playing hard, not quitting, winning, losing and how it's all going to apply to your life in the future.

He is Rob and this Father's Day we want him to know how happy we are that God brought him into our lives to love, guide, and take care of us.

With love from your familia,

Devin, Randy, and Tammy

Daddy

A little Happy Father's Day for my Daddy!

His name is Lewis but everybody calls him Sonny.

He was blessed with 3 beautiful daughters, me, Elizabeth, and Sarah.

He spoiled all 3 of us.

Elizabeth and I have given him 5 grandchildren, 4 boys, 1 girl.

Daddy is a workaholic but has always made sure we know he loves us.

Although I have two beautiful younger sisters, for many years it was just me and Daddy (my parents ended their marriage when I was very young). I couldn't wait for the weekend to come and we liked to travel and those little expeditions are forever etched in my heart, even when he lost me at Magic Mountain when I was 6 or ice fishing at the Flaming Gorge in Wyoming, it was all fun!

Years later he moved to Albuquerque and shortly thereafter met and fell in love with and married Loretta, now being the stubborn, spoiled little girl I was, it took a little time for me to get use to sharing my Daddy with another girl(woman). In my heart I knew that Albuquerque and Loretta were probably the best things that could happen to him and he always made sure I knew how much he loved me and for this I am thankful. I went through my little phases of not wanting to go vist him as a teenager, but it was during my own struggles as a newly single young mother that Daddy took me in and helped me through it all.

My Daddy is still in Albuquerque and Rob and I try to visit often throughout the year, spending time with familia in Albuquerque and in San Juan.

What I'd like him to know this Father's day is that I love him mucho and I appreciate him and love him with all my heart!!!

Puerta Turquesa

I thought I would talk a little more about my Abuelito (grandfather) today in honor of Father's day this weekend, and why I'm always inspired by him. His name was Flavio Montoya and he was an only child, he would talk about how lonely it was without brothers and sisters as he was growing up. Then he met Grandma, and made up for that lonliness by having 10 children, my father being the oldest, I being the oldest grandchild. He didn't speak very good english but was still able to get a good job with the railroad. He moved his family to Denver when the five oldest were still young and stayed here until his death in 1994. Abuelito was a kind old soul, once he was retired he would take the bus all over Denver, always on the go, always meeting complete strangers who became friends, in fact at his funeral here in Denver there were so many people who came to pay their respects and we didn't have a clue who they were! He maintained his land in San Juan, NM, and many childhood summers were spent with my father and grandfather there. He was a fantastic fisherman and there wasn't a fish he couldn't get out of the Pecos River. He took in his father and aunt until their deaths and always told us "¡Tome de su familia, no los puso en un hogar de ancianos para malgastar lejos! Take care of your family, don't put them in a nursing home to waste away!

My grandfather worked hard for his family, leaving us a beautiful piece of earth called San Juan and all the memories that come with it, did he know he was leaving us a place to go for solitude and refocusing? I think so, I think he loved us that much!

This necklace was made just like so many of my pieces are - because of stories that Abuelito told me or some other memory of years gone by.

Mora County

Here is the first of Rob's paintings! This first one is titled Mora County which is in northern New Mexico. Look at all the story telling going on in this piece, I love it! The second piece is also done and this one is titled Chili Time, this piece is also going to be shown at the Chili Harvest Festival that CHAC gallery is having in August, oh what fun! Well Rob hopes that this invokes some memories to those of you that are from or have visited New Mexico, if you have never been to New Mexico, well, just let the paintings tell you a story! Not the best pics I know, they are just so big and I'm not the best photographer, got figure out how to take some real good ones before listing in the shop.

New Mexican Folk Art Paintings

Thought I would give you all a sneak peek at what Rob has been creating lately. Because it's almost summer, he thought it would be nice to do a few New Mexican folk art paintings that tell stories. He has one done, it is titled Mora County and I can't wait til you all see it, I will takes pics tomorrow morning. Tonight I went outside to his workshop, snuck behind him and took a pic of the one he is currently working on, not yet titled. Check out the color and how fun it just is!

See you tomorrow

These really take my breath away...

...and I'm positive they will take yours too!

I am always looking for different kinds of beads, you know lampwork, polymer, wood, metal. I often just do a google search and on this one particular day back in the fall I found a link to MruMruglass on Flickr, oh WOW was I amazed at her work! Her beads are colorful and magical and I was smitten. Well as I have said before, this past winter was kind of tough for me, I think my muse went on vacation to some beautiful beach in Mexico and left me behind, so I would go and admire those Flickr pics from time to time, and even checked her Etsy store, but it was empty and then I started creating with polymer clay and that occupied me a few times a week.

So then one day I'm reading Lorelei's great blog and I see that she had a giveaway of beads made by a Magda, oh that name sounded familiar, but I still didn't put it all together. You see I knew her by Mag of http://www.mrumru.com/ and http://www.magdalenaruiz.etsy.com/, so I eventually went back to her Flickr site and finally contacted Mag about doing a custom order for me. You see I have a customer who wanted a wedding necklace done in purple and turquoise and Mag had the most beautiful beads she calls Purple Rain, that's it, those were the ones I had to have and here they are, Mag made a set similar to the ones she had posted!!! I am hoping to keep a couple to make a bracelet with, we'll see what is left after the necklace is created. So thanks Lorelei for jogging my memory and thanks Mag for creating these gorgeous beads!

Mag does have some beads in her Etsy shop now and she is such a sweet lady to work with, I know I will continue to go to her when I want something unique ;)

Why we do what we Do...

We've been getting some questions about why we do what we do, so here is the condensed version...

Starting with a chunk of wood and turning it into something sacred and symbolic is what Santero art is all about. Creating something iconic into religious imagery is what drives Rob to keep carving! From retablos to bultos to crosses and paintings this is why he does it, to produce art work in a non-dualistic mindset and allow the creator to infect those that are searching for their identity and purpose, even when they appear to have no soul. Rob is originally from Memphis, TN and moved here to Denver and immediately fell in love with the rich Hispanic culture that surrounded him at work and in friendships.

For me it's almost always about a memory...I spent so much time outdoors always looking or maybe hunting for little things, big things (they don't call me the mud pie queen or bug aficionado for nothing) colorful things, but the place I have the happiest memories is of our little town in New Mexico called San Juan. My grandpa was an only child and would take me (his oldest grandchild) walking to our ranch and along the Pecos River telling me the stories of his youth. And these storytelling walks I have treasured in my heart. So the story behind the bracelet is always the inspiration to create it, pretty simple I know, but lots of meaning to me and hopefully to the person that falls in love with a piece.

So now here we are a married couple of artists working in two different mediums, working on the goal of moving to New Mexico soon to open our own bed & breakfast/gallery. Our work is very popular there as this is where Santero work started! We are members of the Northern New Mexico Fine Arts & Crafts guild, and Rob has pieces in the Santuario de Chimayo gallery. I have customers who love big chunky jewelry and I continue to make it for them. We have our little shops on Etsy and 1000Markets but it it is just a small collection as most of our pieces are in galleries. Hope this answers alot of the why do you do what you do questions.

Summer Fiestas!!!

Oh how I love a good summer fiesta, when I lived in New Mexico it seemed like there was one every weekend and I miss that, or maybe I just miss my youth! Anyhow, memories of those weekend summer fiestas inspired me to grab a Treasury in Treasury West and here it is, enjoy! Wish I would have posted it sooner, but just now learned how to do this!

San Pascual, St. Francis and San Martin de Porres

I am just fascinated with all these new pieces Rob has created. Two of them are bultos and one a bultablo, hee hee, 1/2 retablo and 1/2 bulto. I will be listing these in the Etsy and 1000Markets shops tonight, but thought I'd show them off here too! The bultablo is of San Pascual, patron saint of cooks and kitchens, you can find him in just about every kitchen in New Mexico! The bultos are of St. Francis, patron saint of animals and ecology. One of the questions we get often is "Why is he holding a skull?", well the skull represents life hereafter and many Spanish colonial art pieces will have a skull somewhere on the piece, we are not trying to be morbid, lol. Last up is San Martin de Porres, patron saint of mixed races, innkeepers and public health. His heart was always with the poor, showing endless mercy and compassion. He was a Dominican brother who was born to a
Spanish nobleman and a young black former slave. San Martin was the first biracial man canonized into sainthood. Enjoy...and Rob would love to hear any comments you all might have :)