The El Rito Studo Tour 2005
Site 12

Nicholas Herrera
Elena Herrera Backus
Retablos and santos

Susan Guevara
Drawings and Paintings

House 15 County Road 249

Nicholas Herrera
Physical: House 15 County Road 249
Mailing: PO Box 43
El Rito, New Mexico 87530
575-581-4733
www.nicholasherrera.com
Please call for appointment to visit studio

Nicholas was introduced to art at a very young age by his family who strongly encouraged him to study art and make wonderful things with his hands.  Since 1996, he has continued to develop the skills necessary to follow his dreams, that of making Spanish Colonial Art.   
Inspired by the historical pieces of Art that are available throughout New Mexico and as a 15th generation New Mexican,  he's studied what would be considered the great artists of Colonial New Mexico.  Their use of natural pigments, local items and some ingenuity has taught him to do the same - Nicholas uses vivid colors and aspires to make each piece unique giving a true representation of his values and traditional beliefs.  Nicholas explores ideas that are not always socially comfortable.
    Nicholas is a product of his rural upbringing and community. He is the El Rito Santero!

Meet Nicholas Herrera
Courtesy of
The Luce Foundation Center
for American Art

santos
portrait
Elena Herrera Backus
Retablos and santos
Susan Guevara
Drawings and Paintings
505-474-7175
susanguevara@jps.net
www.susanguevara.com

Susan Guevara earned a BFA in illustration from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, CA, received honors at the Royal Academy of Fine Art in Belgium and studied independently with the Flemish impressionist painter, Remy Van Sluys.

She first came to El Rito in 1989 for a brief stay then returned to her native CA until 6 years ago when she moved to northern NM permanently. She has been a children’s picture book illustrator for the last 22 years and has received numerous recognitions for her contributions depicting Latino Culture in picture books.

“Illustrating children’s picture books has satisfied me for many years. I’ve always brought a ‘felt-sense’ to the magic of the picture book process. But now, with my return to New Mexico-- and all the changes that move brought with it--I want to depict my internal world without editorial restrictions and the rigid parameters of a 32 page book. I’m deeply moved by the natural world and making art helps me express my gratitude and wonder. Using Mesoamerican mythology and imagery, classical archetypes and my own mishmash of dream content in art making is, for me, a curious and engaging way to appreciate being alive.“
Santa Librada I
5.75" x 7" ink, watercolor

Numbered I
6" x 8" ink, watercolor

Mujer
5" x7" ink, watercolor, guache
"Seedhead", detail
oils and carving on wood door.
"Seedhead"
oils and carving on wood door.
24"x 74"