Virginia Romero

Virginia Maria Romero is a Santera, a maker of retablos, bultos, altars, and crosses. Ms. Romero is an unusual Santera in that she is Anglo. Her Hispanic last name, Romero, is her married name. Ms. Romero lives in New Mexico and her husband is a native of Santa Fe where she lived for many years.

Ms. Romero uses carved pine for her work and hand collected materials to make her own natural pigments. She is a self-taught folk artist and was introduced to retablo work after moving to Santa Fe, New Mexico in the 1980's by Charlie Carrillo.

Born and raised in Sheffield Lake, Ohio, Ms. Romero has been winning art contests from a very young age.

After her mother's death, Ms. Romero believes her desire to paint retablos was divinely inspired as a means of prayer and meditation and it became her livelihood.

Ms. Romero’s work is on exhibit in permanent collections at San Miguel Mission, (The Oldest Church), Santa Fe, New Mexico; El Museo Cultural de Santa Fe, Santa Fe, New Mexico; the Bruce King Heritage Museum, Las Cruces, New Mexico; the Maria Stein Heritage Museum/National Marian Shrine of the Holy Relics, Maria Stein, Ohio; and Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine & Parish, Mesilla Park, New Mexico.

Virginia Maria Romero is a participant in the [http://www.trailofpaintedponies.com/a-artists-directory.htm Trail of Painted Ponies] , the nationwide project.

And for her acrylics, see http://www.thetrailgallery.com/virginia-romero.html.

Ms. Romero has also been known for beadwork and oil painting and she is also a published poet.

External links

*http://www.askart.com/askart/r/virginia_maria_romero/virginia_maria_romero.aspx
*http://upcoming.yahoo.com/event/454192/
*http://www.nmsu.edu/~artgal/pages/summeromero.html
*http://www.ceramic-image.com/Saints.htm