76-летний мастер сантеро Алкарио Отеро рассказал о своей традиции и преодолении болезни в музее Лос-Лунас

TOP STORY Alcario Otero Master santero speaks about his craft & heritage LOS LUNAS — Alcario Otero is more than just an artist — he is a teacher, a survivor and a storyteller. The 76-year-old native of El Cerro recently stood before a standing-room only audience at the Los Lunas Museum of Heritage and Arts to give more than a standard artist presentation. In his 50-minute talk, Otero wove his words into a tapestry similar to the carvings and retablos he’s created in his 40-year career as a santero — an artisan who creates santos, which are Spanish-style religious status, such as retablos. The event was presented by the museum and the Friends of the Los Lunas Library & Museum, which helped acquire four of Otero’s art pieces for the museum’s permanent collection. More than 40 of Otero’s works were displayed before and after the presentation as well. In his introduction, friend and colleague Brandon Maldonado gave those gathered the context of Otero’s connection to the legacy of the 200-year santero tradition in New Mexico. A renowned artist in his own right, Maldonado covered a lot of ground in his introduction and reminisced about his relationship with Otero as it grew from the local artist being a mentor to a friend and fellow artist “Alcario has a special connection to [him],” he explained. “You see the different directions and the style and how he’s evolved. There’s this quality to everything that you know. He has this voice with the brush.” For Otero, finding that voice wasn’t a direct path. He spent 20 years working in union construction, finding success as a builder, but feeling a lack of fulfillment in the work. Initially, he spent his time on the side carving scrap 2-by-4s with rough tools, eventually finding his way into the world of traditional santero artwork through his mentor, Charlie Carrillo. “When I first started studying with Charlie, we used to go to the museum and we were actually very blessed to be able to do the gesso relief,” Otero said, explaining they had a friend who let them into the downstairs portion of the Museum of Spanish Colonial Arts in Santa Fe. “We got the opportunity to see the original old santos cases. I really got to love the old santos and appreciation for the santeros, the old masters,” he said. “We don’t try to copy them, but we get inspired by them. “What I got out of looking at their art and touching and feeling their pieces is that I could feel the energy coming from the simple men.” In his talk, one of Alcario’s main points was that talent is a gift. But it takes hard work for it to truly shine, he said. In telling his story, Otero singled out three things an artist needs — the three P’s. “The first one is passion, No. 1. No. 2 is patience. And No. 3 is practice,” he explained. “If you’re willing to do all that, and then if you have some talent, then you’re in.” He related a story of helping a budding santero in Albuquerque start their own artistic journey. “I used to tell him that all I needed from them was to have passion. That’s the only thing that I told them,” Otero said. “It’s not about the money or the fame. It’s about the love of the art. That’s it. “Another purpose that art serves is therapy for the mind. If your mind is occupied with artwork, then you can cope with life. A lot of people have to go to what they call a therapist. I think we all need one, but my therapy is a block of wood or a blank canvas. That’s my therapy. Once I get it in front of me, then it’s amazing what happens.” Otero shared he has faced many health challenges, including heart issues and a stroke three years ago that affected his vision. It was a dark time in his life, but his faith and his love for art helped him recover. “I spent about a year on the front porch of my mother’s house, just being depressed and going down, down, down,” Alcario shared. “A lot of people were praying for me and I was praying for myself. And sure enough, after about a year, I felt like the Holy Ghost spoke to my mind and he said, ‘I’m going to help you now.’” Today, Alcario continues to pass on the santero traditions to others, teaching students that the true meaning of the art is found in the love of creating. He said he looks at each new piece with a sense of wonder, treating it as if it might be his last. “I always think every piece that I start could be my last one,” Alcario said. “So I try to do it the best that I can, because one day it will be my last one.”