GRANTS - There was something for almost any artistic taste at the Hispanic Art Show, which is an integral part of Fiesta de Colores held last weekend.

For those drawn to traditional Hispanic Catholic sacred art, there was a rich array of santos, retablos and bultos by such artists as Margarito Mondragon of Las Vegas and local santero Jerry Montoya.

Arlene Sisneros Sena displayed very ornate retablos and crosses, which were garnished with gold leaf, while Brian Antonio showed large tin crosses in addition to his photographic works and pencil drawings.

There were many non-Hispanic artists who joined the art show, such as Grants metal smith Karen Sorenson, who was featuring her signature silver jewelry. Her minimalist, simple designs have a sleek, elegant quality.

Painter Ava Peets was displaying her folk-art flavored paintings, many of which depict Hispanic and Native American village life. Her two grandsons kept her company and passed the time making colored pencil drawings.

Becky Seligman of Santa Fe showed her straw appliqué work in crosses, boxes and picture frames, while Grants wood artist Dwight Kastenkdieck was featuring some new works.

Local landscape artist Jessie Jaramillo offered her brightly colored oil paintings and third place winner Vicente Telles showed a whimsical painting depicting the Holy Family as super heroes. He also displayed a triptych, which depicted the Garden of Eden and the triumph of Christianity over evil. “I've got a little bit of everything in this work,” Telles said. “There are archangels, Franciscan fathers, St. Teresa, St. Francis and St. Santiago.”

The magical circuit board art of Marion Martinez captivated many attendees. She uses discarded computer circuit boards to create images such as a Matachine headdress, a dove and kachina-like figures. “The computer chips provide a lot of symmetry in my work,” she noted.

Featured artist Sue Orchant drew a crowd to her colorful painted silk creations, such as scarves, ceremonial pieces and garments. She had also made an assemblage depicting the “Crypto Jews” of northern New Mexico, who had been expelled from Spain during the Inquisition. Many came to the New World and lived anonymously as Spanish settlers.

Her piece showed an outbuilding, where the “Crypto Jews” secretly practiced their faith on their homesteads.

Second place winner H. Cordova of Alamogordo displayed a number of clay pieces depicting the mythological figures of indigenous people. He has studied the cross pollination of native and Spanish cultural influences. “For example, the Yaqui Indians adopted crosses into their dance regalia during Lent,” he explained. “There is also a close correlation between Matachine dancers and Apache crown dancers.”

Cordova's pieces in the forms of shields and wall hangings are made by permative firing of the clay, which imparts a rich patina like the surface of Raku pottery.

The paintings and carvings of Scott Garcia revealed a whimsical streak in the artist. He carves small figures from the tagua nut, which South American Indians used to make buttons and dice. He also created the sacred heart of Guadalupe and several Day of the Dead figures in carved elk horn.

The book table was doing a brisk business and selling several copies of “Three Dog Night: A New Mexico Cuento for Grown-ups” by local artists/writers Cheryl and Jerry Montoya.

Co-Chairman of the fiesta, Paul Milan said, “We are always fighting the weather but overall the fiesta was very good. The silent auction and burning of Lummis in Milan were excellent. And, the Mariachi Mass was standing room only.”