Vicente Telles is a Santero (painter of saints) and Cultural Iconographer who is driven by the desire to honor the culture and traditions of his native New Mexico. He began painting traditional retablos (saints on carved wood) using natural pigments created from clays and minerals on homemade gesso, which is then sealed with an archival varnish.
Always looking for ways to push boundaries, his style has evolved to include various reinterpretations of traditional Catholic and cultural iconography, which is evident in his social commentary retablos and his on going border culture series. His experimentation with different mediums such as textiles, high quality paper(s), found and repurposed materials are used to create more contemporary pieces.
To Telles being a Santero and Cultural Iconographer is so much more than painting; “being a Santero and Cultural Iconographer means being a teacher, a student, and an observer of tradition and maker of the contemporary.” In this way, his traditional and contemporary pieces, allow Telles to do his part in keeping his heritage and centuries of tradition alive and vibrant.
Telles’ work can be found in private and public collections both in the United States and abroad.
The cover art is from the Collection Of Harriett And Ricardo Romo.
