Joseph M. Chávez cherishes Faith, Art, Tradition
LAS CRUCES >> In a crowded venue, the art of Joseph Manuel Chávez was a showstopper. As arts aficionados moved through the 2015 Las Cruces Spanish Market at Hotel Encanto in late February, many stopped short at the booth of Chávez to admire his traditional hide painting and copper-engraving prints.
"I grew up in Deming and it's nice to see the market coming to this area," said Chávez , an award-winning artist who served on a planning committee for the inaugural event and is a longtime featured artist in the prestigious juried shows of The Spanish Colonial Arts Society in Albuquerque and Santa Fe.
His interests include the revival of lost art forms during the 17th and 18th century Spanish Colonial period in New Mexico, he said.
"My hide paintings on elk, deer and bison hides are all done with natural organic and inorganic pigments. I've developed my own techniques combined with those which date back to 16th century Spain," Chávez said.
His copper engravings also use traditional materials tools and techniques to create "estampas" which are then printed on "torculos," a roller press.
Chavez has an international reputation as both a talented artist and also as a knowledgable expert in a wide variety of traditional art forms.
"Murals have become my new love and the direction that I want to take. I have several commissions coming up here in the U.S., Spain and Argentina. It will keep me busy for years. I am presently working on a huge commission, a triptych of Our Lady of Guadalupe for Holy Family Cathedral,in Tulsa, Oklahoma," said Chávez.
In the santero tradition, he completes his work with faith and devotion, along with careful research and talents honed over a lifetime.
IMAGE~ Closeup of a work on hide by Joseph Chávez at the Las Cruces Spanish Market. The artist's New Mexico roots date to the 1500s and he uses traditional methods and materials. (Jett Loe — Sun-News)
"I do very in-depth studies for all my commissions and (I) study techniques for each and every commission to complement the church's architecture. All is done to promote devotion, honor and glory for His name," Chavez states on his website.
His current projects involve several aspects of New Mexico's tricultural arts and traditions.
"I have been working on a series of Matachine paintings, to document how similar, yet how different, Matachine traditions are in our state and across the U.S.," said Chávez, who has been studying the unique dances shared by both Hispanic and Indian cultures.
"I want to do a Matachine exhibit at the Deming Art Center and in Tulsa," he said.
IMAGE~ A retablo by Joseph Chávez, shown here, is among works he creates using traditional techniques. (Jett Loe — Sun-News)
The busy artist, who currently has home bases in both Deming and Oklahoma, also has found time for a multimedia project that's dear to his heart.
"I am about to finish and publish a book on the churches of Southern New Mexico, their architecture, and influence of this part of the state. It will contain my own illustrations and photographs," he said.
He has worked to create, restore and promote Catholic religious art, and was gratified when Bishop Ricardo Ramirez in 2012 declared the Hurley, N.M., church that the Chávez family has attended for four generations as a shrine to the Santo Niño de Atocha.
In 2014, he completed his largest mural to date, the St. Michael the Archangel Mural at St. Ann Catholic Church in Deming.
IMAGE~ Santero artist Joseph Chávez describes his work at the Las Cruces Spanish Market at Hotel Encanto de Las Cruces, which took place Feb. 21-22. (Jett Loe — Sun-News)
"The mural is 45-feet wide and 17-feet high, a fresco secco in the Mexican Baroque art style of Diego Rivera and Jose Clemente Orozco. This art style is popular in southern New Mexico. It sparked my creativity and elevated my faith. I prayed the rosary the whole time I was working on it," said Chávez.
It was a physical challenge as well, but health issues have not kept him from making plans to create three more murals for the Deming church.
"The mural has been registered with The National Hispanic Cultural Center in Albuquerque, as a source of information for religious and artistic studies and for worldwide researchers, museums and galleries," he reports.
His personal and family artistic roots run deep.
Joseph Chávez said this mural of St. Michael the Archangel in St. Ann's Catholic Church in Deming, is the largest he has created. He is making plans to create three more murals for the church. (Courtesy photo)
"My ancestors were part of the founding and settling of Santa Fe and New Spain, going back to their arrival in 1590. The family moved to southern New Mexico in 1790 for ranching and mining interests and has remained here," he said.
At an age when most tots were scribbling with crayons, he already was venturing into the realm of fine arts.
"When I was 5 years old, my grandparents gave me my first set of oil paints," said Chávez, who has a degree in fine arts and painting from New Mexico State University and went on to studies at various colleges and some of the world's major museums.
His retablos (religious paintings on wood, leather and tin), and a variety of his other creations, have been featured in galleries, guild exhibits and museums throughout the U.S. and in Mexico, Central America, Spain, France and Italy.
He also creates jewelry in sterling silver, copper and bronze with precious and semi-precious stones, textiles, weaving and quilts, decorative painting, bronzes and statues, and a variety of ceramics, including vessels, fonts and tiles.
"I have commissions for the next five years. I am very blessed and very grateful. I've also done murals and have works in several private homes. The current trend in the Catholic community in many homes is to have a dedicated space for prayer and meditation with a beautiful piece of artwork," he said.
His work is currently featured in the Arte de Chávez Gallery in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Arte de Chávez Gallery in Deming at 754 S. Diamond St., by appointment at 918-407-3436, and online atArtedeChavez.com. His work is also featured at the Deming Art Center, 100 S. Gold Ave. in Deming.
S. Derrickson Moore may be reached at 575-541-5450.
