Nicolas Otero was born in Silver City, New Mexico on May 22, 1981. His family has always been involved in Hispanic traditions whether it is church functions or Matanzas (A tradition that involves the roast of a large pig raised for the purposes of providing food for a celebration that involves both the community and family). Catholicism has been a constant and vital part of Otero’s upbringing. Everything from daily chores to community oriented activities has all been based on the faith of the church. “My grandparents were and are very devout Catholics. My grandma (my Mom’s mom) has always had a large chest of drawers and on top of it many statues of the saints with holy water placed on it so that whoever came before the altar was able to bless themselves and pray. It has been the same altar since I was a little boy, with numerous candles. She even has a penny taped to San Ramon’s (Saint Raymond) mouth because he is the patron saint against slander.” Growing up Nicolas’s parents always went to church and sent both him and his brother Andrew to Sunday school. In high school Nicolas was fortunate enough to participate in a lesson on the Traditional Hispanic Traditions of the many villages of New Mexico. It was at this time that Nicolas realized that he had a serious interest in the tradition of making Santos (holy Images). “For the first time I became aware of a culture that was mine from the beginning, I had no idea how important my faith and traditions were until I saw other people, from the outside of our community valuing it as something to be cherished”. It was this lesson in high school that allowed for Nicolas to begin exhibiting at the world famous Spanish Market in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Though he was only a young kid at the time he did this until he turned 18 where he was required to jury into the show along with other professional artists. Upon his first try he was accepted and began to show as an adult artist in 1999. Since then Nicolas’s work has improved significantly. He has participated in many shows, galleries and museums. His work has become very collectable and many collectors have been collecting his work since he was that high school kid years ago. Nicolas has had the opportunity to learn the traditional methods and old ways of the tradition. He has worked with many other prominent artists in the field and has gained a strong sense of what the tradition is about. “This tradition is unique to New Mexico, people or Santeros (Saint Makers) who have been making santos for the last 300 or so years have done this work for one reason, to give the community a closer faith in God, to seek his help in the daily struggles of life”. Many of the techniques used are passed down from one generation to the other. Just as in Europe, there is a Master and Apprentice type of relationship that is formed in learning the tradition of making retablos (paintings done with natural pigments on panels prepared with home made gesso). Nicolas enjoys sharing the history and methods that are involved in making these santos. The images he paints are not for worship they are for veneration of a life lived in the example of Christ. “A lot of people ask “Why do you worship Saints?” and I always tell them that it is a respect, and admiration like one would give to a big brother or sister whose led a life of exemplary faith and good deeds.” Nicolas resides with his wife Anna in Los Lunas, N.M. where his studio is also located. Nicolas currently teaches art at Los Lunas Middle School.