Nicolás Otero reveals the spiritual component that lies at the heart of each object he creates

Jul. 23—Nicolás Otero time travels through wood, paint and adobe. A santero since he was 16, he carves bultos, and paints retablos and hides. As the santero carved a bulto at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival this summer, he noticed parallels with Ukrainian artists. "The palette was similar," the Los Lunas artist said. "The palette was folk aesthetic. It wasn't realism; it was more symbolism. "Now they're not doing that. They're more defending their home." The art of the Ukraine is just one of a multiplicity of influences inspiring Otero's aesthetic. He hopes to bring between 15 and 20 pieces to next weekend's 71st Traditional Spanish Market in Santa Fe. Visitors can see colcha embroidery, retablos, bultos, gesso reliefs, precious metals, tinwork, pottery, ironwork, straw applique, weaving and furniture at the festival sprawling across the Plaza. Perhaps best known for illustrating the late Rudolfo Anaya's children's books, Otero creates his work using centuries-old methods of preparing pigment and carving wood panels by hand. In 2019, he won the New Mexico Governor's Award for Excellence in the Arts. In 2017, he took the Grand Prize Best of Show for Traditional Spanish Market. This fall, he'll be teaching middle and high school art at Bosque School. Otero began by apprenticing with santera Rhonda Crespin, thanks to a grant from the Spanish Colonial Arts Society. "It had a folk art aspect to it, and it seemed like something I could do," he said, adding, "It was more challenging than I thought." He spent two years under Crespin's tutelage. "She would teach me a combination of retablos and carvings at the same time. I still talk to her to this day." The craft of New Mexico's santeros or "saint makers" can be traced back more than four centuries when the first Roman Catholic missionaries from Spain arrived in the territory. Otero juried into Spanish Market in 1999. In the beginning, he tried to emulate the style of the santeros from 300-400 years ago, studying museum examples and books. He still uses traditional methods, including natural pigments he either creates himself or buys, as well as hand carving. Working at the conservation of the San José de Gracia Church in Las Trampas with the santero Gustavo Victor Goler last September helped solidify his technique. "You learn how these pieces were put together," he said. "You got a sense of the materials in an intimate way." Today he's bringing artwork to Santa Fe ranging from 12 inches to 3 feet tall. He's currently working on an image of the Virgin Mary with a full, white skirt. He'll embellish it with elaborate designs. A spiritual component lies at the heart of each object. "When you're working on pieces, you feel compelled to go into that train of thought," Otero explained. "You're working with a sacred image." While he paints and carves, Otero listens to audiobooks. The subjects range from the Pueblo Revolt to political science, political history and biographies. "I've never listened to so many audiobooks in my life, so I'm learning while I'm creating," he said. He remembers drawing on a sketchpad while he sat on a wall at his grandmother's house when he was 8 years old. He paid his way through the University of New Mexico through his Spanish Market art sales. "It was difficult to have parties when I was in college because I had all these saints in my house," Otero said with a laugh. "Friends would say, 'I think that saint's looking at me, dude.' " Today, his palette is earth-toned. "Think of the California missions with the salmon pink and the Prussian blues," he said. He chose to express the traditions of his culture in part to keep it alive. This year's market features just 117 artists, down from 170 about 10 years ago, he said. "It might be the economy. The young people may not be able to afford the booth fees. More educational programs in institutions would help." Otero's work can be found in the museum collections of the Denver Art Museum, Regis University Museum, Taylor Museum, Museum of Spanish Colonial Art, College of Saint Catherine, Colorado University Art Museum, Albuquerque Museum of Art and History, Denver Museum of Nature and Science, Museum of International Folk Art and the archive collection of the White House.