"Her Madonnas touch a nerve because they bring that joy of family and friend and love for one's fellow man past all the traditional reserve you would normally see in a Madonna."
Lee Musgrave, Curator, Maryhill Museum of Art
A letter from Cristina:
I am greatly influenced by my Hispanic heritage. Born in Los Angeles, I am the daughter of a Anglo American mother and a Mexican American father. Because of my appearance combined with the time and place I lived, I experienced prejudice growing up; events that caused me to identify deeply with my Mexican American heritage.
My paternal grandmother (Catalina Maria
Ortiz Acosta) was a classical pianist and gifted
Renaissance woman. Her ancestors included the original Spanish
settlers and soldiers that settled in North America in what is
now New Mexico in the late 1500's and 1600's. She had antique
blankets and other objects from the centuries of life her
ancestors had lived in the Southwest region. I found the
objects in her home continually fascinating.
As a young child I would often listen to her practice Debussy, Bach or other classical piano pieces as I played with Native American objects from our family's past or leafed through her collection of antique books, looking at engravings. From her I observed the example of the artist's life.
The influence of this part of my culture
inspires my series of Madonnas. Painted with oil, sterling
silver, copper or 22kt. gold metal leaf and inlays of antique
24kt gold glazed ceramic tiles, these Madonnas include symbols
that delve past the dawn of Christianity, and also represent
the earth religions of the Native Americans. New Mexico was a
frontier for almost three hundred years. Because travel was
often unsafe and difficult, access to clergy was sporadic, thus
the tradition of the retablo developed as a home altar. They
are beautiful additions to any spanish art or southwest
art collection.
Nordstrom Stores National Hispanic Heritage Exhibits have included Cristina's Madonnas in October 2005 and October 2006.
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 La Sirena Verde / The Green Mermaid 18" x 24" Click here to learn more. |
 La Conquistadora /The Corn Maiden / Dine Spider Woman 42"x60" A symbol of the peaceful accord the Spanish eventually reached with the Pueblo and Dine tribes, she is the USA's oldest Madonna. Click here to learn more. |
Guadalupe with
Tear
18"x24"
This Madonna is serene despite her intuition that her child would meet great challenges. Click here to learn more. |
Our Lady of the
Winter Snows
24"x36"Layers of Sterling Silver with oil paint reveal the Madonna cradling her heart in her hand. Click here to learn more. |
|
La Conquistadora
with Corn
18"x24" Holding the food of life over her heart, she watches over the land. The floral motif symbolizes her blessings. Click here to learn more. |
Christmas/Nativity
Angels Dance with Joy for You,
retablo -- Santos style 36"x36" tri-panel. Click here to learn more |
||
Maria
Madonna, Retablo in gratitude for the blessing
of creation. 36"x36" tri-panel.
Click here to learn more. |
Click here to learn more. |
 Rock Canyon Madonna, retablo, ex-voto, 26" x 26" tri-panel. Click here to learn more. |
 Eve & the Tree of Knowledge 42" x 60" Click here to learn more. |
 Dolores Huerta & Cesar Chavez Si Se Puede (Yes You Can) 18" x 24" Click here to learn more |
St. Isidore, Patron
Saint of Agriculture, retablo - Santos style
36"x36" tri-panel.
Click here to learn more. |
The Blessings of
Love
36"x36" tri-panel Retablo in the tradition of the New Mexican Ex-voto. Click here to learn more. |
Expulsion
38"x50" |
La Malinche as the
Guadalupe with the Three Sisters, Corn, Squash and
Beans
42"x 60".The Madonna is with the 3 foods necessary to thrive in the SW. Click here to learn more. |
 Love Always, Siempre Amor 16'6" x 52" drawing Click here to learn more. |
 Center of the Universe 42" x 60" Click here to learn more. |
 Running Meditation 42" x 60" Click here to learn more. |
 Paradise Found 36" x 36" Click Here to Learn More |
Retablos (or altarpiece in Spanish) are a
traditional sacred art form with roots that pre-date
Christianity, with roots in the Mediterranean areas that
include part of what is now Italy. The art form of the retablo
first came to North America with the Spanish settlers and
artisans that followed the Conquistadors to the North American
continent to settle what is now Mexico and the United
States.
There are two types of Retablos, the Santos and the Ex-Voto.
The Santos style of retablo is either a Saint (from the Roman
Catholic Christian tradition) or a member of the Holy Family.
Similar in concept to the art form of the Byzantine and/or
European Orthodox Catholic icon, the Santos is painted in
accordance with strict liturgical rules that define how the
central figure of Saint or Holy Family member is represented.
The counterpoint to the Santos is the Ex-voto, a no-rules,
personal vision that is created to commemorate a blessing
received or when a prayer has been answered.
The Ex-voto retablo is the art form I focus on. I love it!
This retablo art form gives me a way to connect with the
religion of my childhood, without having to get into any
personal struggles with a dogma that doesn't always jibe with
who I am now.
When I was a child, my abuelita (paternal grandmother), Catalina
Maria Ortiz Acosta would tell me about the ancestors we
shared. They were goldsmiths, soldiers and settlers who had
first come to North America in the 1500's, eventually settling
in what are now the towns of Santa Fe, Taos and Abiquiu in New
Mexico and Ortiz, Colorado. Though she was born in Los Angeles,
she held her New Mexican roots close to her heart, importing
New Mexican chilis to her home by the beach in Playa del Rey.
(I updated her recipe for Red Chili
Sauce, if you'd like to try it.)
I paint my retablos to express and explore my gratitude for
the blessings of my life. My favorite subject is the Divine
Feminine which I interpret as Madonna / Female Creator images.
Because my Spanish/Mexican ancestors migrated to North America
in the 1500’s, I also include American Indian symbols, as
that heritage is sure to be part of my mix.
Along with the visual symbols of my work, the materials I use
have personal meaning. My Ortiz ancestors where famous
goldsmiths. Thin sheets of 22kt. gold leaf, copper and sterling
silver glisten under and over layers of oil paint and evoke the
presence of those ancestors. The antique ceramic tile mosaic is
glazed with 24kt. Gold and is from a now shuttered ceramic
factory in the same area of Southern California where I grew
up. The wood panels are built by an artisan wood worker and
mostly include re-worked lumber siding from razed timber mill
buildings in Bend.
I finish each Retablo with a blessing, usually on the back of
the image. In the old tradition of territorial New Mexico, the
Retablo often became the spiritual focus in the home when
travel was dangerous and people could not attend church.
Centuries of isolation in New Mexico led to the unique form of
the Ex-Voto often painted on tin, leather or wood panels.
Artists were commissioned to paint retablos that often became
symbols of a family’s spiritual life. In that tradition I
offer myself to paint commissions of a Retablo for you that
commemorates your blessings.
