These amazing unique, hand-carved caves in New Mexico are absolutely breathtaking, and there's one way you can see them first-hand.
"Sometimes I feel like an archeaologist. I'm uncovering something that's already there." For the past 25 years, with only his dog for company, Ra Paulette has been shaping and scraping away at sandstone caves in New Mexico, turning them into man-made caves of art. It's pretty down and dirty work, but he doesn't complain. "When you're doing something that you love, and are drawn to it, you want to do it all the time," he says. Like Michelangelo in the Sistine Chapel, nobody tells Paulette what to do. Alone in a cave, where he can let his imagination run free, the only thing on his mind is creating a majestic piece of work.
The artist has dug epic works of art, and even homes, out of New Mexico's sandstone hills
These amazing unique, hand-carved caves in New Mexico are absolutely breathtaking, and there's one way you can see them first-hand.
The artist has dug epic works of art, and even homes, out of New Mexico's sandstone hills
One man has carved a number of natural New Mexico caves into psychedelic sandstone temples.
Bill is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science. So around this time of the year he receives a great number of movies that have been nominated for the Oscars. He needs to …
"He who works with his hands is a laborer. He who works with his hands and his head is a craftsman. He who works with his hands, his head and his heart is an artist." Francis of Assisi THREE ARTISTS WHO CARVE WITH THEIR HEART A N T H O N Y E. M A R T I N E Z Previously published on Chasing Santa Fe - 2017 M A S T E R O F T H E S O U T H W E S T ANTHONY E. MARTINEZ is a Native New Mexican, growing up in the Española and Chimayo Valley, just to the north of Santa Fe. While other kids were playing with model airplanes and whatever a 7 or 8-year old did back then, Anthony was falling in love with the Spanish Colonial furniture that he experienced in in his grandfather's home. And when he saw that these beautiful, hand-carved pieces were being brought to the dump and replaced with store-bought 'modern' furniture, it struck a cord that sent him on a lifelong journey to re-create these treasures - many museum pieces - and educate the world to their beauty and craftsmanship. For twenty years he exhibited at SANTA FE'S SPANISH MARKET, winning first place awards in multiple years. He was named Masters of the Southwest - Master Furniture Maker by Phoenix Home and Garden Magazine, and when he looked for a a gallery to showcase his work, the prestigious GERALD PETERS GALLERY didn't hesitate to represent him. Now, after a nine-year hiatus - he was creating furniture for a private collector - Anthony's back at GERALD PETERS and his show - that opened this weekend (2017) - is a visual tour de force. The gallery placed all of his work in a beautiful room just off the main gallery. A large stone fireplace dominates one wall and his chests and trastero cabinets are paired with gorgeous paintings that resonate with the colors and textures of his luminous furniture. It's like stepping into a wonderfully-curated living room. T H E S T U D I O I stopped by Anthony's studio to photograph his work in progress and get a feel for his art. What I discovered were his diverse talents - his before-making-furniture-life - that he shared with me. A MUSICIAN... The guitar and music filling the studio was a give away... He did a stint in Hollywood... He does photography and paints... Turning a photograph into a sketch and then into a painting or a carving... Let's see..he was a machinist/designer... This delicate silver medallion with a black onyx in the center was hand cut/hand stamped and then applied to a magnificent New Mexico walnut desk. And he collects ornate antique locks for his furniture... A photographer's dream...fabulous 'stuff' everywhere... He makes these charming children's chairs for friends and family.. T H E W O R K The 'STAR' of the studio visit was a beautiful chest (caja) he was working on for the GERALD PETERS GALLERY. Always the perfectionist...he wasn't happy with the finish and took it down to its raw wood and began again... "The finish of each piece must be perfect; If I'm not happy with it, I can't expect my client to be." Then begins the many, many layers of color and aging and finishing... The sun helps in the process... P E R F E C T I O N ! ANTHONY E. MARTINEZ 1005 Paseo de Peralta Santa Fe, NM 87501 505-954-5719 http://www.gpgallery.com https://www.anthonyemartinez.com . I V A N D I M I T R O V Previously published on Chasing Santa Fe - 2016 Ivan posing with a photograph of himself as a young man carving a tree while sitting on an exquisite chair that he also carved. Originally from Bulgaria, Ivan began woodworking early-on by crafting his own tools - chisels from discarded screwdrivers; detailing tools from the ribs of old umbrellas. And when he heard of a woodcarver who had recently passed he would head out into the countryside to see if he could buy their tools. He eventually left Bulgaria, living and carving in both Paris and London. In 1998 he was sponsored to come to America and wended his way to Santa Fe. I T ' S I N T H E E Y E S & H A N D S "These are the hands of a man who has mined coal in un-ventilated shafts 1,500 feet underground, cut hay with a scythe under demanding conditions, and carved entire trees by hand. These are hands that also carve delicate, cascading strands of hair on a woman's head, undulating folds on a saintly robe, lavish garland borders of fruit and flowers." ERIC OLSON Carvings from a commission to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the Holy Trinity Orthodox Church of Santa Fe. Every project begins with a drawing before it wends its' way onto the waiting wood... HIS FIRST STUDIO AN ABUNDANCE OF TOOLS... His circa 1800's vice below - A mold for making a guitar...Ivan teaches classes at the Community College and he and his talented son both play these beautiful instruments. . WATCH! A BEAUTIFUL SHORT FILM ON IVAN Last year, Ivan participated in the Santa Fe International Folk Art Market.. CONTACT IVAN DIMITROV t. 505.424.4808 www.santafewoodcarving.com . R A P A U L E T T E First published in 2014 THE EXQUISITENESS OF CAVES "It is not sufficient to see and to know the beauty of a work. We must feel and be affected by it." Voltaire To say that I spent my birthday in a cave conjures up visions of the Flintstones. But my BIRTHDAY CAVE was magical - a carved sandstone wonderland created by a reclusive, brilliantly-talented artist - RA PAULETTE - whose passion for caressing rock into curvaceous beauty is one of New Mexico's best kept secrets. I invited friends for an afternoon of champagne and hors d'oeuvres and to share the splendor of this secret place. T H E C A V E Over the past 25-years, Paulette has carved 14 sandstone caves - he calls them his wilderness shrines - and each is a celebration of his constancy and his passion for WONDER. "Most of the wonder that I feel is in the actual making of the caves," he said on a recent interview with CBS News. "Once they're made, I move on, if I want fresh wonder." This cave is on the Northern New Mexico land owned by Architectural Ceramicist SHEL NEYMARK who created all the gorgeous interior glass lighting (yes there's electricity) and tile work tucked beautifully into the sandstone eddies and swirls. The bathroom - there's hot and cold running water - is amazing. The tiled tub by Shel is a tour de force beckoning to be filled and enjoyed. The kitchen nook boasts the only movable furniture. All of the other seating has been carved into the sandstone like ancient thrones - crowns optional. And windows and skylights are everywhere bringing the outside in. View from the upstairs bedroom where I spent the night after all my guests had wended their way home (Details on how you can rent this sumptuous cave/hide-away below). . One of my birthday guests - ARTIST ANGEL WYNN Wood circle in the middle of the floor in the main salon is a drum. A working kiva fireplace anchors one end of the room. cww photo above View of the open loft bedroom above carved mirror of main salon. A CAVE SPIRIT? Actually, it's me photographed (wearing a pristine white sheet) by Angel for her series - GHOST DANCE - SPIRITS AND ANGELS - See her work now at 7ARTS Gallery on Lincoln St. - Santa Fe . Shel outside his glass/ceramic studio just down from the cave. Thank you Shel & Liz for taking such good care of your beautiful cave and sharing in my birthday. This Embudo, New Mexico cave/hide-away - 1hr. north of Santa Fe along the Rio Grande - is a perfect romantic get-away or a very spiritual setting for a day or evening retreat. Contact Shel @ 505.579.4432 to see if he's still renting it out. CLICK - CBS - SUNDAY MORNING VIDEO . "Being in this beautiful cave was like climbing inside a Pablo Neruda poem." CWW
For the last 10 years, American artist Ra Paulette has been walking alone into New Mexico's desert to work. He spends his time carving a sandstone cave that he found, turning it into a wonderful subterranean space full of light.
With just a wheelbarrow, a shovel, a pickaxe and his dog, American artist Ra Paulette has spent the last few decades chiseling caves from sandstone mesas in Northern New Mexico. But these aren’t your “average”…
The artist has dug epic works of art, and even homes, out of New Mexico's sandstone hills
One man has carved a number of natural New Mexico caves into psychedelic sandstone temples.
for over ten years, ra paulette has been hiking into the wilderness to work on his opus magnum, a series of caves scraped and dug entirely on his own.
With just a wheelbarrow, a shovel, a pickaxe and his dog, American artist Ra Paulette has spent the last few decades chiseling caves from sandstone mesas in Northern New Mexico. But these aren’t your “average”…
These amazing unique, hand-carved caves in New Mexico are absolutely breathtaking, and there's one way you can see them first-hand.
Calling it his final and most ambitious project, 68-year-old Ra Paulette's art caves are decorated with unique patterns as carved into the walls or ceilings fill rooms with natural light.
"Sometimes I feel like an archeaologist. I'm uncovering something that's already there." For the past 25 years, with only his dog for company, Ra Paulette has been shaping and scraping away at sandstone caves in New Mexico, turning them into man-made caves of art. It's pretty down and dirty work, but he doesn't complain. "When you're doing something that you love, and are drawn to it, you want to do it all the time," he says. Like Michelangelo in the Sistine Chapel, nobody tells Paulette what to do. Alone in a cave, where he can let his imagination run free, the only thing on his mind is creating a majestic piece of work.
One man has carved a number of natural New Mexico caves into psychedelic sandstone temples.
The artist has dug epic works of art, and even homes, out of New Mexico's sandstone hills
for over ten years, ra paulette has been hiking into the wilderness to work on his opus magnum, a series of caves scraped and dug entirely on his own.
With just a wheelbarrow, a shovel, a pickaxe and his dog, American artist Ra Paulette has spent the last few decades chiseling caves from sandstone mesas in Northern New Mexico. But these aren’t your “average”…
For the last 10 years, American artist Ra Paulette has been walking alone into New Mexico's desert to work. He spends his time carving a sandstone cave that he found, turning it into a wonderful subterranean space full of light.
The artist has dug epic works of art, and even homes, out of New Mexico's sandstone hills
The artist has dug epic works of art, and even homes, out of New Mexico's sandstone hills
The artist has dug epic works of art, and even homes, out of New Mexico's sandstone hills
Inside the Tree of Life cave in Nothern New Mexico by artist Ra Paulette.
for over ten years, ra paulette has been hiking into the wilderness to work on his opus magnum, a series of caves scraped and dug entirely on his own.
Inside the Tree of Life cave in Nothern New Mexico by artist Ra Paulette.
With just a wheelbarrow, a shovel, a pickaxe and his dog, American artist Ra Paulette has spent the last few decades chiseling caves from sandstone mesas in Northern New Mexico. But these aren’t your “average”…
See inside the home built into a cave that "CaveDigger" architect Ra Paulette built for his friends Shel and Liz Neymark.
For the last 10 years, American artist Ra Paulette has been walking alone into New Mexico's desert to work. He spends his time carving a sandstone cave that he found, turning it into a wonderful subterranean space full of light.
These amazing unique, hand-carved caves in New Mexico are absolutely breathtaking, and there's one way you can see them first-hand.
Windows in the Earth Shrine, carved into a sandstone cave by the artist Ra Paulette, located on the grounds of the Rancho de San Juan on the road between Espanola and Ojo Caliente.
for over ten years, ra paulette has been hiking into the wilderness to work on his opus magnum, a series of caves scraped and dug entirely on his own.
