This powerful church is a wonderful example of 7th century Visigothic architecture. It is in the Provence of Ourense in northwestern Spain in the province of Galicia near Portugal. I was fascinated by the accretion of forms that have evolved over the centuries to form such a beautiful and unlikely unity.

This wonderful structured is believed to have been built on sacred earth with miraculous healing powers, as a private chapel by Bernardo Abeyta around 1814. He commissioned several santeros, including Molleno and Jose Aragon to paint altar screens.  The healing earth is contained in a small pit in a side chapel dedicated to St. Raphael the Archangel.  For over 150 years, pilgrims and locals have visited the chapel for the miraculous healing earth and often leave their crutches and braces to hang on the chapel walls along with written prayers of gratitude. The drawer in the base of the sculpture, done by PJ Cardinale, contains not only a vial of the miraculous earth but also an assemblage of artifacts of the Catholic faith and space for the owner of the piece to place their own symbols of their personal belief system.

A Morada is a meeting house for the secret society of Los Hermanos or Penitente Brotherhood. The buildings were not churches and the Morada's were not consecrated structures and did not traditionally have altars. The Penitentes were formed in the absences of priests in rural communities for the purposes of prayer and sacrifice to atone for their sins and to take care of the spiritual needs of the community. The piece is signed on the side and on the bottom.

This church is the burial place of St. Francis (of Assisi) begun in 1228, just two years after the saint’s death. The soaring Gothic lines of the 13th century structure symbolize the heavenly glory of St. Francis and the style became influential for many of the Franciscan churches that came later. It was a joy and a challenge to devise a way to make the two rose windows and I worked to allow the pieces to show the age, and feelings of the spirit of the times. There are approximately 400 separately cut and carved pieces and it took about a month (90+ working hours) to design and make.

This church was pictured in an exhibition catalog on Macedonia Brides from the Museum of International Folk Art in Santa Fe, NM in a 1926 photogravure. I was fascinated by the elongated linear quality of the design and especially the cupola. This piece was inspired by the unique architecture.

One of the most beautiful missions in all of California, it is named after an Italian Cardinal of the 16th century known for his strict efforts in reforming the church.  It was the burial place of the mission’s founder, Fr. Juniper Serra.  Dedicated in 1797, it has rough sandstone walls, one Moorish tower, another unfinished tower and a unique star or quatrefoil window.  It has a squat power and design solidity that make it a gem in the string of California missions.

The assemblage/collage inside the tall doors is by PJ Cardinale and contains scapulars (small square cloth pieces) worn to ward off evil, a fragment of a rosary, the beads used for repetitive prayers, a set of eyes to watch over the faithful, an old picture of small church sculpture made years ago by Roberto, and a large medallion of the Virgin of Guadalupe.

This tower was inspired by the massive adobe structure located in the village of Las Trampas about 22 miles south of Taos, NM. The construction of the church was done entirely and paid for by the villagers and completed in 1760. It is striking because of its thick walls and elegant and yet powerful twin towers. The towers themselves were capped by belfries designed by the noted Southwestern architect, John Gaw Meen. I have elongated the towers and taken the liberty to put in small windows and an entry door to give the tower an artistic identity of its own.

This massive adobe structure is located in the village of Las Trampas about 22 miles south of Taos, NM.  The construction of the church was done entirely by and paid for by the villagers and completed in 1760.  It is striking because of its thick wall and elegant and yet powerful twin towers.  I was fascinated by the details of the canales which drain the water from the roof so they are exaggerated to add interest to the stark side walls.