The air, the adobe, the soaring mountain vistas and the rich culture of Taos valley in the high Sangre de Christo mountains of New Mexico have been home to eleven generations of the Rodriguez family. At this point in the family’s evolution as Taoseños and as human beings, a matriarch of the 10th generation – Anita Rodriguez – is distinguishing herself as a brilliantly heartfelt, technically adept artist with a compelling, curative vision.

In consideration of her substantive portfolio of work, art critic Rick Romancito wrote: “If artists are the antennae of the culture, quivering precognitively in response to paradigm shifts before the rest of us are aware, then I’m heartened by Anita Rodríguez’s change of palette…” Me, too.

With this blog post it is my pleasure to publicly admire and to introduce the work of Anita Rodriquez to a wider audience. I encourage you to watch the short video embedded below, and to visit her website to appreciate the range of creative expression she has brought forth from her soul through her talented hands. In the video, Anita tells the story of Nuestra Señora de los Remedios, and guides a powerfully healing exploration of the painting. It’s a tonic for the soul.

https://youtu.be/F7cBCF57fEk

A prodigy not just at the easel and the word processor, Anita is also possessed of kitchen genius. That genius will be revealed in her forthcoming cookbook, Coyota in the Kitchen: A memoir of New and Old Mexico with Recipes. Technically, it’s a cookbook with recipes of the traditional foods that are part of the cuisine of Northern New Mexico. But the book also tells the wild and uproarious stories that surround the food, and at the same time will offer a visual feast of Anita’s artwork created especially for the book.