I've always enjoyed working with my hands. I worked as a carpenter and built passive-solar homes in Santa Fe for 25 years until an accident forced me into early retirement. Building Santa Fe style furniture allowed me to continue working with wood and using my skills. Gardening has also been rewarding for me.

When I discovered Gourds and began growing them and creating designs on them, it seemed like a perfect union. It was only in 1995, after my fathers death, that I discovered my Yaqui Aztec Ancestry. Growing up in California we were taught that we were Mexican Americans because Yaquis were so persecuted that they hid within the Mexican culture.

Each of my Gourds is an unique piece. The shape of the gourd tells me what design will best suit the gourd. The design is burned on with a wood-burning tool and leather dye is used for the different colors. The designs are from the tribes of the American Southwest. Some of the designs are 2000 years old. I acknowledge the tribal origin and approximate date of the design.