Arthur Lopez

Arthur Lopez is a Santa Fe native who came home to discover his passion as an artist. A decade ago, he was changing jobs and moving from Los Angeles to New York when he stopped to visit family in Santa Fe. During that time, his father was diagnosed with cancer and Lopez decided to spend the next few precious months at home. Spanish Market rekindled his interest in the traditional carved and painted images of religious figures called bultos.

"I carved my first one with a hunting knife and a razor blade," he recalls.



Today, Lopez shows his own traditional work at Spanish Market, but his gallery work has a more contemporary, whimsical edge. Singing saints, dancing demons, political themes, and even a hippie Jesus come to life in his vivid carvings. "I'm trying to bring an old style into the new world," he explains. "I want to put a story that people can relate to behind the art."



Lopez has never regretted his decision to stay in Santa Fe. Besides discovering his art, he met his wife, with whom he has two young sons, during the time he was caring for his father.

"Everything whether good or bad happens for a reason," he says. "I believe that."

Learn more about the rest of Santa Fe's featured edgy artists here