I use natural pigments that can be derived from clays, vegetal matter and bugs, homemade gesso and piñon sap varnish on each wooden retablo, whether that piece of wood is purchased from a lumber store or found out in the tierra of New Mexico. As a santero, I've learned to love my land; it's where I'm from and to what I will eventually return. I honor my ancestors by nailing two small copper nails in each corner of the wooden retablos. I paint with my soul and that of my family, believing my grandparents would be proud of me. In painting metal retablos, I feel I am expanding my knowledge of an art form that has been in the Southwest region since the 17th century.

I paint retablos and Catholic saints because, as a Chicano, I feel my language has already been taken from me. This art form has survived many generations and it shows that people are willing to fight back as a community. I paint to send a message that my culture, my heritage will live on. Not everybody tolerates words but a beautiful image can do so silently.