Sanchez, Russell & Arthur Lopez – San Isidro the Farmer Saint Box

4"w x 7"h (w/ lid)

$ 7,400.00

Russell Sanchez (San Ildefonso) and Arthur Lopez (Hispanic), have created unique collaborative works for the first time this year.  The vessel was made by Russell and stone polished with a black clay. The wood sections were carved by Arthur.  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 water color pigment.  Natural colored pigments, such as the brown, are derived from black walnut hulls.  Russell uses traditional clay from San Ildefonso, which is then coil built, stone polished and traditionally fired.  These are the time involved and historic foundations for this collaboration.

“San Isidro” is a charming piece which is both modern and historic in style.  The box was made by Russell Sanchez and the wood lid by Arthur Lopez.  The box is polished with a red clay slip and painted with black mica in the checkerboard near the base.  The lid depicts San Isidro, known as the Farmer Saint and for his piety to the poor and animals.  Here Arthur has depicted him surrounded by the bounty of his farm and a modernized version of the figure kneeling in prayer.  Around the sides are scenes depicting the farmland with an angel plowing the field in on scene and the crops sprouting in another.  Separating them are polished sections where Russell has etched Pueblo plants in bloom.

Russell and Arthur say about this piece:

The story of San Isidro told in New Mexico is that Isidro was always working in the fields and didn’t have time to go to church. God sent an angel to plow the fields so he would have time to pray.  The figure of San Isidro on the top of the box is him praying after a bountiful harvest.  The checkerboard at the bottom represents the heaven and earth, the two worlds.  The plants on the side are sprouting with the rain.  The brown hei-shi represents he earth and soil while the green hei-shi represents the crops.