Corrales artists show off talent in winter craft show

CORRALES — The Corrales Winter Craft Show, hosted by the Corrales Historical Society and the Corrales Society of Artists Dec. 8 at Old San Ysidro Church, was a colorful way to start the holiday season for many local artists.

A popular stop in the old church was at Mary Rosetta’s table. She and her son Tristin were selling their crafted turquoise jewelry.

“We’re members of the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center and Santo Domingo Pueblo, so everything we sell has to be authentic. We can’t sell fake, painted jewelry,” Mary said.

Tristin added that some types of turquoise are harder to obtain than others. Some jewelry had small amounts of a type turquoise that was obtained in large quantities nearly 15 years ago, but jewelers can only get small amounts of it these days.

Despite some of these challenges, the Rosettas had plenty of product, all with their signature name stone attached.

Another artist in the tent outside the church specializes in encaustic painting, or mixed media art.

“I create my paintings using beeswax and Damar resin. Using mixed media elements, shellac, oil pastels and alcohol ink, I am able to create these beautiful paintings,” Lisa Epp said.

According to a handout Epp provided, encaustic painting and similar mediums have been used for archival art for centuries with some pieces dating back to 5th century B.C. She referenced some pieces that date back 3,500 years and are part of the Egyptian collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

There were several talented artists at the show with skills in painting, woodwork, stained glass, pottery and jewelry. Each one had their own style and trademark.

The craft show has been a tradition for 36 years, and a portion of the sales will go toward the preservation and maintenance of the old church.