Santiago Tafoya's choice of titles, A Life's Work In Stone and Bronze, surely embodies this wonderful collection which is indeed the culmination of a lifetime. Simply told in his own words, Santiago had a religious visitation which turned his life from crime to art. In this visitation, Jesus instructed Santiago to "carve the mountain" prompting him to teach himself stone carving and giving us a enduring legacy which we celebrate here.

Santiago's work reflected his Native American heritage, combining themes and materials reminiscent of the American landscape itself. Soapstone, Marble (and now, ultimately, Bronze), and various other organic materials hewn from Santiago's native terrain were manipulated with the sureness of his artist's touch and eye to create living images. Every masterpiece was crafted with depth and reflective surfaces to animate the sculptures into living, breathing entities.