Over 400 years ago, a young Spanish Colonial soldier named Manuel Delgado stood by the right hand of the immortalized Don Diego De Vargas in the reconquesting of the city of Santa Fe. He went on to have generations of children who propagated the surrounding area. 5 generations ago, my Great Great Grandfather, Francisco Delgado, decendent to that young soldier, began creating works of art from leftover tin food cans abandoned by the US Army Garrisons traveling through the area. That art form, referred to as "tinwork" was passed through 5 generations to my brother, Jason Younis y Delgado. My Grandmother had trained all of the children of our generation, but Jason was the one with the heart and gift for working with tin. But, alas, tin was not for me.
Instead, I showed a great interest and aptitude for drawing and painting, so my Grandmother encouraged me to try the traditional art of retablo painting. I did very well in the Spanish Market youth market, but then the world caught my interest and I went off to high school and attended college on the East Coast at the University of Virginia where I studied architecture. I love the art of designing buildings. I met my husband and partner in graduate school and we started a design firm while we were still in school. Our work grew rapidly and we were on top of the world, until the economy crashed in 2006. To add to the mounting stress, it seemed God thought this would be an appropriate time to throw a baby into the mix. As we struggled to redirect our firm towards a broader scope of general design, a second baby joined us and we had great motivation to get into gear. But, years of being self-employed had spoiled us and we refused to get "real jobs," fighting the current. It was then that we decided to circle the wagons and return to New Mexico to be closer to my family and live in a more affordable area, at least until we got on our feet again.
When I returned, I quickly got involved in assisting my brother at his tin shows and he poked me about getting back into painting. I thought I was too old, but my Grandmother offered me a chance to study with one of the most respected santeras (female Saint painters). I took the opportunity and it would change my life direction again. I began studying diligently the Saints, the stories of the region and learned the techniques and traditional methods of retablo painting. The more I learned, the more I loved the craft. I juried into the prestigious Spanish Market and my brother and I began developing collaborative tin and retablo pieces. I am especially proud of these as I feel it will be our legacy in the Spanish Colonial story. I also started producing and hosting a local TV show on retablo painting that has been very warmly received (look up "New Mexican Santera" on Youtube).
As I developed my traditional arts, we were also still developing our design business, taking on all sorts of graphics projects and making a name for ourselves. A distant relative was referred to me (as someone who was creating art and graphics with cultural ties). I was invited to concept a Day of the Dead beer (Cerveza de los Muertos) and I jumped at it. From this very successful project, I took a new turn in my art style, It was a welcome relief to the strict regimen I had created in the formal Saint paintings. I was exploring whimsical imagery, bright colors and relishing imperfections. From their, I was invited to create a Day of the Dead themed wine called La Catrina Vino. I love that set--it features individual characters on each bottle, but together, they make up all the characters of a wedding party! And, by coincidence, some designers from the New Mexico Lottery happened to see the wine at the store. They reached out to me and now I am developing several images that will be featured on a Day of the Dead lottery scratcher ticket!
The best part about all of these projects is that all of the clients allowed me to retain full copyrights to the images, something unusual on graphic projects. This allows me to parlay these images into a range of products, something I have dreamed about all my life. I have never imagined myself to be a gallery artist (although I did show my muerto art on Canyon Road!). I have always wanted to produce art products for the masses so everyone who wanted to could enjoy my art.
As I reflect on my journey, I flash back to 10 year old me. My mother was a single Mom who would stay up all night sewing on her industrial machine trying to eek out a few extra dollars. My brother and I desperately wanted to help her and I remember we tried a few times to draw pictures and put them outside on the sidewalk with price tags of 25¢ each. I remember a few people walking by us. We never sold anything. So, I feel especially blessed every single time someone stops at my booth and says, "I like this so much, I will buy it and I will hang it in my house and enjoy it."
