CatherineRoblesShaw.com
Title
Catherine Robles Shaw, Retablo, Saints, Spanish Colonial Art
Description
Excerpted from the website:
- Traditionally they are made of local woods, pine, aspen etc. The board is hand-adzed, and carved then smoothed in front. Then it is gessoed and painted. Pinion Varnish then is applied to seal the work. Retablos are common to decorate the home and Chapel in Colonial times. The Saints were called apon for special needs of the worshipers at various times of the year.
Languages
English Traditionally Retablos, Bultos and Altarscreens are made of local woods, pine, aspen etc. The board is hand-adzed, and carved then smoothed in front. Then it is gessoed and painted with natural pigments. Pinion sap Varnish then is applied to seal the work. Retablos are common to decorate the home and Chapel in Colonial times. The Saints were called apon for special needs of the worshipers at various times of the year. Retablos are the story tellers of my ancestors.
Additional Information
As a Santera (Saint Maker), I work to preserve some of the unique traditions of my Hispanic culture. Retablos are the story tellers of my ancestors. They are the natural extension of the beauty and simplicity of our Spanish lives. My husband, Michael and I aspire to represent our work with as much historic accuracy as possible.
My first exposure to this art form came when, as a child, I visited the churches in the San Luis Valley. My family had been among the first settlers in the Conejos land grant and lived in Mogote and Las Mesitas, Colorado. After visiting old churches in Chimayo and northern New Mexico, as an adult, I came to realize the meaning of the little retablos that had been in our family. In 1991, I began making retablos for my family and friends. Then in 1995, when I was admitted into the Spanish Market, I became a full time artist.
I have taken workshops from Santero, Charlie Carrillo in 1995, I have carved Bultos with my cousin Rubel Jaramillo, and also learned some new techniques from Gustavo Victor Goler, from Talpa, New Mexico in 1999.
I participated in a workshop through the Smithsonian Institute in Santa Fe, NM in 2001. I have done artist demonstrations at the Santa Fe Spanish Market in 1998-2005 and at Chili Harvest Festival 1998. In 1997, I taught a retablo making class at Fort Lewis Collage in Durango, CO and at the Sangre De Christo Arts Center in 1998, I also did some teaching about retablos at the Denver Public Schools, as well as private lessons.
THE SAN LUIS VALLEY
The San Luis Valley, located in southern Colorado and northern New Mexico, is roughly 125 miles long by 50 miles wide. The elevation ranges between 7,500 and 8,000 feet above sea level. The valley is bound on the East by the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, on the North by the Sawatch Mountains, and on the West by the San Juan Mountains. It is watered by the Saguache and San Luis creeks in the north and by the Rio Grande River, which flows south through the middle of the valley.
My family's ancestors, led by Miguel Jaramillo, were some the first settlers of the Conejos land grant of 1838. They defended their homeland of La Madera, NM and explored the outlands of the North. Their flocks of sheep took them to a land between Los Pinos River and the Conejos River and they claimed Jaramillo Vista as their estate in this land grant. Miguel and his sons and daughters were the shepherds, weavers, carpenters, abobemakers, churchmakers, coffin builders, tool makers, farmers, trappers, hunters, defenders of the home land for the outpost of Las Mesitas and Los Mogotes, under the shadow of Los Mogotes Peak. This Spanish culture was carried on with little change due to their isolation.
I am very lucky to have my cousin Rubel Jaramillo there to show me the lands and traditions of our ancestors.
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External Links
- Altar Screens
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