Arthur Lopez is one of the leading Santos carvers in New Mexico.  This piece is entitled, “El Patron del Jardin”.  This piece is Arthur at his most creative!  It depicts St. Fiacre riding a hummingbird and holding a shovel (he is the patron saint of gardening).  In front of him are four carved flowers, each of the petals is separately carved from wood.  Their stems are barbed wire!  The detail and creativity of this piece is exceptional, as is the detail and coloration of the painting.

Arthur said of this piece:

Saint Fiacre is the name of Saint Fiacre of Breuil (c. AD 600 – 18 August 670).  He was famous for his sanctity and skill in curing infirmities. He emigrated from his native Ireland to France, where he constructed for himself a hermitage together with a vegetable and herb garden and hospice for travellers. He is the patron saint of gardeners.  

The process for Arthur’s work is bound in tradition.  After the piece is carved, is covered in gesso (a glue made from rabbit hide) which is allowed to dry and then sanded.  It is painted with both natural and watercolor pigments.  Natural colored pigments, such as brown, are derived from black walnut hulls.   These are the time involved and historic foundations for his work.  

We are pleased to present this amazing body of work from one of the leading Santos artists in the country.  Arthur’s artistic expression continues to break through the history of Traditional Spanish Colonial art in New Mexico. Each piece demonstrates his expressive ideas by utilizing and honoring traditional techniques to arrive at his uniquely contemporary one-of-a-kind creations. Consistently Arthur has pushed the boundaries of the New Mexico Santero tradition that has placed him a the forefront of his craft.

Arthur’s work is found in numerous museum and public collections, including Albuquerque Museum of Art & History,  Denver Art Museum,  Freedom Museum (911 Memorial at Ground Zero), Harwood Museum of Art, Museum of International Folk Art,  Museum of Spanish Colonial Art, and the State of New Mexico Permanent Art Collection.  Most recently he received the New Mexico Governor’s Award for the Arts in 2022!