September Artist of the Month

Ruben Archuleta or 'El Jefe' is a retired Chief of Police, author, artist and presenter on The Penitente Society. His sculpting career started completely by accident in the summer of 2004 when he needed a "Carreta de la Muerte" (Death Cart) for the cover of his book, "Land of The Penitentes". After viewing numerous carretas in several museums, he could not find anything that met his expectations, so he decided to produce one of his own. A whole new, creative world opened itself to him by presenting him with this previously unknown talent. 

 

Ruben prefers to work with aged, cracked and sometimes rotting cottonwood as they tend to have more character with their holes, cracks and coloring. It presents a challenge when working with these conditional flaws that he enjoys undertaking. Ruben has also recently taken an interest in photography. You can learn more about Ruben, his books and processes on his website: www.eljeferuben.com