Native New Mexico Folk Artist Victoria de Almeida, Victoria de Almeida, Retablos de Victoria, San Pascual, San Pasqual, kitchen saint, santos, retablo, retablos, New Mexico, Spain, New Mexican folkart, folk art, spanish folkart, Santo Nino de Atocha, religious art, Saint Francis, San Francisco, Lamb of God, Jesus paintings, Victoria de Almeida, patron saint of animals, patron saint of cooks, Almeida, Victoria Jones, Victoria Shinas, catholic art, religious art, Franciscan Monks, Franciscan Brothers, Shinas, Frida Kahlo, Contemporary Hispanic Market, Spanish Market, Victoria de Almeida, Retablos de Victoria, San Pascual, San Pasqual, kitchen saint, santos, retablo, retablos, New Mexico, Spain, New Mexican folkart, folk art, spanish folkart, Victoria de Almeida, patron saint of animals, patron saint of cooks, Almeida, Victoria Jones, Victoria Shinas, catholic art, religious art, Franciscan Monks, Franciscan Brothers, Shinas, Frida Kahlo, Contemporary Hispanic Market, Spanish Market, San Pascual, San Pasqual, Patron saint of cooks, patron saint of cooking, patron saint of kitchen, saint of cooks, saint of kitchen, saint of chefs, patron saint of chefs, coyotes, wolves, wolf, guitars, singers, owls, bats, desert, moon, new mexico, arizona, santa fe, mexican restaurant, restaurant, new mexican food, mexican food, chihuahua, chihuahuas, hispanic, hispanic art, hispanic folk art, art, santa nino, ristra, mexian family, hispanic family, chile, tortillas, Victoria de Almeida, almeida, new mexico, Reynalda Almeida, Carmelita Anaya, Epifania Almeida, Victoria Shinas Artist Biography

"Grandma Almeida's Kitchen" (original with artist)

Reynalda Almeida (1920-2000) was my maternal grandmother (one of Carmelita's 11 children). I absolutely adored her. She lavished her 22 grandchildren with time, love, and food! She was known by many as the best cook in Santa Fe. She made tortillas everyday and always had something simmering on the stove. I loved her red/green chile and the bologna and eggs she fried for me at breakfast. She truly lived for her family. My sister and I were the only two grandchildren that did not live in Santa Fe. When we traveled and visited her she took us to the grocery store and let us fill a cart with whatever we wanted! She made me dolls out of rags and sewed little dresses for them. She always had a kind word for everyone and was unceasingly generous with everyone. Her six children took care of her in her later years and gave her around-the-clock care until she past away in 2000. I miss her terribly and think of her every day.

"Mieta" (original with family)

I painted this retablo of my maternal great grandmother Carmelita Anaya (1885-1981). Our family lovingly referred to her as "Mieta" a term of endearment meaning "my own." She was born in 1885 in Gallisteo, New Mexico where she lived her whole life. She married Serapio Anaya in 1905 and together they had 11 children. She was tragically widowed in 1942 when Serapio died mysteriously while working as a sheepherder in Alamosa. Carmelita supported her children working as a cook at the schoolhouse and as a midwife bringing more than 25 children into the world. She was also known as the local curandera, or traditional folk healer or shaman commonly known in Hispanic culture. She set many broken bones, treated various injuries and helped heal illnesses. I have painted her seated by 3 herbs native to New Mexico that she may have used in her healing: plumajillo, oregano, and manzanilla. As a promise to her father, she never cut her hair and she wore it braided and pinned up. Though I was too young to remember her well, all of her children and grandchildren tell me of her personal strength, of the kind smile she always wore and her love of life.

My Biography, My Roots
I was born and raised in the beautiful state of New Mexico. My family has been in the Galisteo Basin and other Spanish settlements around the New Mexico area for over 9 generations. I have been drawing for as long as I can remember. Growing up, I was surrounded by the paintings of both my grandfather and father. Their subjects were inevitably the churches, people, and landscapes of New Mexico. As a little girl, I spent many Saturday afternoons sitting in a chair beside my dad’s easel watching him paint. I would happily keep him company, chattering away and rubbing his soft brushes against my cheek. Soon, he would set me up with my own easel.

Another big influence in my art has been the memories and experiences I have had being part of a huge, beautiful extended family. San Pascual is my favorite saint to paint because of my love and memories of my grandma Reynalda Almeida. My greatest fortune in life has been being one of her 22 grandchildren. My grandma lived in a little adobe casita near Canyon Road in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The heart of my grandma’s home beat in the kitchen. As we drove to her home down the little hill street of Camino Sin Nombre, my heart fluttered with anticipation. She always had a pot simmering on the stove and open arms ready for her children and grandchildren. The rich smell of red chile would permeate the house while my Grandma would push my small hands into a floury bowl of tortilla dough.