Spanish markets artists combine faith, heritage into pieces

Jul. 25—Cleo Romero's tinwork is varied and executed with flourish.

Her mirrors feature desert flowers set against a backdrop of painted glass; ornate crucifixes glisten and tin boxes conceal surprises.

Romero, a decorated artist who has spent her life in the Nambé area, relies on her faith, her Spanish heritage and the landscape of Northern New Mexico for inspiration.

Her art, ranging from pendant chandeliers to tin lamps and Mora octagon mirrors, is rich in aesthetic and practical value and steeped in the Spanish Colonial artistic tradition.

"The spirituality [of the region], the talent; almost every day you meet up with somebody that influences you just by the way they are," Romero said.

A veteran of Santa Fe's Traditional Spanish Market, Romero will be among the many artists displaying and selling their work in the 72nd annual show from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday in downtown Santa Fe.

As the city's summer art market season continues, two popular and well-established shows will return to the Plaza this weekend: both the traditional market, featuring Spanish colonial arts, and the Contemporary Hispanic Market. Together, the shows offer an opportunity to browse a diverse array of art, while enjoying live entertainment and local cuisine offered by vendors.

Hundreds of artists showcasing their works also compete for prizes and cash awards in various categories. For those working in the Spanish colonial traditions, these include bultos, retablos, colcha embroidery, tinwork, woodwork, ironwork, leatherwork and hide painting.

Since its beginnings in the 1980s, the newer Contemporary Hispanic Market has grown to occupy a lion's share of Lincoln Avenue, from Palace Avenue to South Federal Place. Last year it featured 126 artists. Expect painting, printmaking, sculpture and photography that pushes boundaries while reflecting traditional influences.

Brissa Garcia, program coordinator for the Traditional Spanish Market, called the event "a very unique experience."

"It's one of the largest juried art forms of its kind in the nation," she said.

In order to create an immersive experience — presenting an ambiance that "brings back that Spanish colonial period time" — the music lineup includes traditional Spanish guitarists, Latin jazz and traditional New Mexican folk music, she said.

Randy Trujillo, who crafts furniture in a distinctive Spanish colonial style, is preparing for his 13th showing at the market, which he recalled attending as a child. The Corrales resident has been working on a kitchen cabinet that incorporates tin.

"Everything I do with my furniture is keeping the tradition alive with the Spanish Colonial art. That's the whole reason I do Spanish Market. I want to keep those traditions going so that they don't die off," Trujillo said.

Trujillo's pieces, custom cabinets and doors, are conscientiously crafted using either mortise and tenon joinery or dovetail joinery, depending on the design.

For the Santa Fe native, quality is more important than quantity; his works can take up to six months to create. To maintain craftsmanship, Trujillo carves by hand, consistent with Spanish traditions.

Romero, who has flourished as an artist following three decades as banker, wasn't accepted in the juried Traditional Spanish Market in 2005, not long after she had taken up tinwork. She embraced this initial setback as a challenge and persisted with her art.

Not only was she accepted into the show in 2006, she said, but she won a first-place ribbon in tinwork.

Among her awards, Romero took first place at the New Mexico State Fair in 2009 for a striking Mora octagon mirror, populated with flowers painted in oil in a reverse painting technique.

What she likes about working with tin — raw metal she transfigures to create art — is the simplicity of the craft.

Romero works with a limited set of tools: tin snips, hammer, nails and a screwdriver.

'You don't have to buy these expensive tools for anything," she said. "... Many times, you have an image, and you kind of want to put it together, and it kind of falls into place in your head, in your dreams."