Abualita

This is my friend in Santa Maria del Oro, Durango Mexico. She is 95 yrs old, and still walks all over the town, cooking, cleaning, and taking care of her grand children. In the background is the beautiful green mountains during the rainy season. You can also see some of the ancient adobe ruins.

   Justine Roberta Sandoval

  wife to Conrad Sandoval, has been painting since she was 7 years old. She attended Spokane Falls University for 1 year, cramming as many art classes into that chapter of her life as she could. Then Conrad came and swept her off her feet and since then it has been one wonderful and wild adventure after another! She has a deep love for children and elderly people, which often reflects in her art. She fostered 27 kids, and adopted 4! She also loves her Native American heritage. She loves to use art therapy to heal the broken hearted. “I want to use my gift to heal, and draw others to Christ.”

Old Cowboy of Durango

This elderly cowboy came to my house in Santa Maria one day, and I asked him if I could do a painting of his wonderful face. To me he just looks like he’s remembering all those good old days riding the open range, up in the beautiful mountains of Durango.

Mary’s Agony

A friend of mine lost her son in a car accident. When I went to the hospital to see her the look of agony and loss was so sad, and so extreme...then the thought came to me…”This must be what Mary looked like when Jesus died.” All the paintings and sculptures you see of the death of Christ everyone looks so serene and saintly, but I don’t think it was like that at all! I think that Mary was human just like us, and felt the pain and sorrow, the tremendous agony at the loss of her beloved son ! This is what I tried to capture.

Wash day

We went high up in the mountains to a Tarahumara village and as we were walking we saw a lady getting ready to wash her clothes in the creek. The Tarahumaras live with little or no money, grow their own food, sew their own clothes, make baskets, brooms, spin wool, and weave. They walk for miles every day gathering herbs and things they need to make their crafts. They eat very simple, mostly food they have gathered or grow themselves. Many of them live well into their 90’s.