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DEPARTMENTS The embodiment of prayer Peaceful Placitas, tucked in the foothills just north of Albuquerque, provides the perfect artistic environment for award-winning sculptor Joe Cajero. A member of the Pueblo of Jemez and a descendant of a long line of artists, Cajero conveys his culture’s deep spiritual beliefs through figures that abstractly represent the sacred. He premiered his latest piece, “The Embodiment of Prayer,” at the 2002 Santa Fe Indian Market. It won second place in its category. “This masculine deity is the embodiment of all our prayers,” he gently says of the 19-inch bronze sculpture. “His mouth is extended because he is singing for all of creation. His headpiece represents the blue sky of day as well as the heavens. Upon completion of the piece, I came to the realization that spirituality is not about what you add to your life. It’s about what you strip away and let go of. I am constantly working towards letting go of that which is stifling me spiritually.” Cajero is in the process of making a six-foot version of the sculpture. The large limited edition piece, which will come with a stone base, can be placed inside a home or outside on a patio. “This is the first time I’ve created a piece of this size,” he says with excitement. “I already have clients interested in it.” There’s a playful side to Cajero that he expresses in the
creation of whimsical Pueblo clowns called kosharis. He personalizes
these small figures when requested. One client, a golfer from Santa
Fe, asked for a koshari to come with golf clubs and balls. Other
clients have asked for entire scenes with storytellers, children,
and animals that remind them of their beloved pets.
Healing arts When Fred Wilson was in high school, he knew he wanted to help people. Fascinated by a group of California priests who sold fruit and hand-made pottery to raise funds for the poor, the young lad considered following in the fathers’ footsteps. In a way, he ultimately did. By the time Wilson went to college, he had abandoned thoughts of the priesthood but committed himself to making pottery. “I realized I could reach more people through my art,” Wilson explains. Indeed, over the decades he has made art in clay, tile, glass, and other media. He also has “taught workshops to literally thousands of children and adults in California and New Mexico.” Wilson’s powerful, colorful tile murals and sculptures focus on images of children, women, land, and churches. He likes to abstract or deform shapes as a way of challenging the viewer’s thoughts and emotions. His greatest inspiration comes from dreams. Six notebooks filled with 40 years’ worth of dream-inspired images provide rich material for new work. Only a third of these drawings has been transformed so far into tile or sculpture. Glow of a Happy Spirit, one of Wilson’s mixed media pieces made with wood, clay, and glass, adorns a third-floor wall in the New Mexico State Capitol. Many of the artist’s tile murals and sculptures are in private collections. When clients feel comfortable sharing their dreams with Wilson,
he makes sketches of the imagery and designs one-of-a-kind, custom
pieces for their homes. “My work is about healing and helping
people,” says Wilson. “I hope my art lifts people up spiritually.” To read the complete story, please find Su Casa at your local newsstand or order it online here or by phone at 505-344-1783 or toll-free 866-256-4925. |
Mirroring Grace Six years ago Grace Woods awoke one morning and realized that she had to make mirrors. She got out her stained glass tools and created her first mirror later that day. A month later she participated in an arts and crafts show on the Santa Fe Plaza, filling her booth with stained glass pieces and two mirrors. “Within the first hour of the show I sold both of the mirrors,” she recalls. “I knew then and there that I had to keep creating them.” Woods has been working with glass for more than 25 years. She is also an avid gardener and wild crafter. Drawing from her extensive collection of more than 100 different kinds of botanicals, Woods uses a contemporary stained glass technique called copper foiling to sandwich native and cultivated botanicals between two pieces of glass. The artist has created mirrors, crosses, and tables with colorful botanical borders. She’s even decorated bathroom countertops with pansies, violas, roses, and herbs. “I had a productive garden last year and harvested about 350 blossoms of miniature pansies and violas every other day,” she says. “I dry and store flowers in my house. Many of the plants I use are wild and gathered from New Mexico roadsides. I collect everything from chamisa and sage to silver lace.” Woods enjoys collaborating with clients to create unique items that
match a home’s existing décor. Her dream commission is
to make a large glass room divider filled with botanicals on both
sides. “My work will transform over time,” she says. “I tell people that my pieces age gracefully, just like a beautiful woman.”
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