Jeralyn LujanLucero: A Life of Art and Faith

ARTIST JERALYN LUJAN-LUCERO has spent the lockdown year in productive creativity: painting, sculpting, silversmithing, cooking, baking, renovating, beautifying and more.

“I do painting, sculpture, micaceous clay pottery, I make rings — and then sometimes I’ll incorporate all these into one piece. I’ll do a sculpture, paint her, and do all her jewelry,” said Lujan-Lucero. “I also have designed pure silver fingernails ornamented with turquoise. They’re for women or men, they’re really beautiful.”

The fingernails are the farthest thing from any drugstore nail extensions you might be imagining. They are etched in solid silver, with bits of turquoise embedded in patterns that make them feel like ancient artifacts.

“Before I was 5 years old, I knew I had good hands. I hadn’t made anything yet, but I knew. I’ve always done everything my own way. I’ll be doing something and then get this vision of what needs to be done. The nails came to me like that. What inspired me was I was going down to Indian Market [Santa Fe] and my fingernails were full of clay and paint and I wished I could cover those up, and it hit me just like that. It took me five years to learn the technique of silversmithing. I didn’t tell anybody, even my husband. I have a copyright on it. It just came to me so I’m running with it. Some time soon it’s going to be a full-time business.”

Lujan-Lucero was born to Taos Pueblo parents, even though they were in California at the time of her birth. Her mother, Pauline Bernal Lujan, was a nurse at Glendale Memorial Hospital. Her father, Jerry Lujan, was a professional barber, who owned his own barber shop, attended the American Barber College and also won certificates in drafting from Los Angeles schools.

“When I was 15, grandma Lucinda died and we came home to take care of grandpa Peter. We hadn’t been home six months when my mom died in a car crash. It was hard to adjust. I went back to California and studied fine arts at Los Angeles City College. It was a great school, I learned all these different painting techniques. Then my brother went to the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe and he convinced me to come home and go there.”

She works and shows at her Sagebrush Deer Studio/Gallery on the south side of Taos Pueblo. With the Pueblo closed to visitors, she expressed her gratitude for the collectors and patrons who have kept her studio afloat during quarantine.

“I was very fortunate to have major collectors who were very faithful. Marshall Hunt – I met him through a mutual friend, Kenneth Johnson, who’s a renowned Muskogee Seminole silversmith. Kenneth brought him to my gallery years ago. Marshall Hunt kept so many Native American artists alive during the pandemic, he was such a godsend to all of us. And I never would have met him if it weren’t for Kenneth. Marshall made it a cause to buy from Native artists during the pandemic, and I was extremely honored to be one of his artists during this unpredictable time.

“Sarah Friedel, she’s from New York and she’s been collecting my work, a few pieces a year for years. She actually commissioned me this piece [pictured above]. It was a really challenging piece for me. The topic was MMIWG2S: Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and 2-spirit people.”

The Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women billboard campaign was launched in 2019, with billboards across the United States and Canada proclaiming the grim statistic: “5,712 Native women were reported murdered or missing in 2016 — now we’ve lost count,” and urging people to be aware. The campaign has since expanded to include children and two-spirit people, and has inspired media, including prayer gatherings, songs, artwork and more. Lujan-Lucero’s powerful painting depicts the missing women, with the murdered in shadow beside them, beneath a gathering storm.

“Sarah commissioned this right in the middle of the pandemic. The tribe had instructed us not to go out of the Pueblo or out of town, and the only canvases I had were these huge canvas

es. But it got me through the pandemic. I wanted it to have a Pueblo theme in their dress and appearance. The storm — it’s here, it’s coming right now, we need to take this opportunity right now to give a voice to these women. As a mother of a daughter, it terrifies me. We can’t ignore it, we can’t forget the women who’ve been taken.”

She showed us another painting, a woman leaping up to the sky. “This one is ‘Joy.’ It’s a series, ‘Joy,’ ‘Love’ and ‘Hope.’ These will be printed on dish towels, to bring joy into the kitchen,” she laughed. “I’ve been cooking forever. My mom was a great cook. I didn’t realize how much I had learned just standing near her in the kitchen. She was my biggest influence.”

Another passion that has sustained her during quarantine has been her longtime vocation as catechism teacher for Our Lady of Guadalupe parish. “I don’t know how long I’ve been teaching, more than 20 years. We’re looking for more catechism teachers, from the Pueblo or outside, for first and third grades. You can contact Socorro in the office at Our Lady of Guadalupe church. We had a really successful year last year, we taught through Google Meet. The kids were really faithful. They were there on time, the parents cooperated. We actually had five kids make their holy communion. It really has kept my spirits up through the pandemic, the kids are so good.”

Asked what she looks forward to in the future, Lujan-Lucero’s first concern was for the Pueblo.

“The artists of Taos Pueblo are looking for a building to sell out of until the Pueblo reopens, preferably with no cost, near [Taos] Plaza area. Anyone with suggestions can contact me or Taos Pueblo Tourism office. For myself, I’m working on four major projects. I don’t like to jinx things in progress, I like to talk about it once it’s a done deal and the product is in hand.

“Of course in this life we are all faced with trials and tribulations and now even a pandemic and global warming. I absolutely do have undeniable faith in Him and us. That He will help us through this. So I try to live my life victoriously through my art, despite all the hardships and unpredictability. I am forever eternally grateful to Creator who has given me this love and passion for my work. I am always trying to improve my game by being more innovative and original. But most importantly, I love to spread the good news and love of God to the children. And in return He has given me unexplainable peace of mind and undeniable faith and fortitude.”

FYI

For more information, contact Jeralyn Lujan-Lucero by phone 575-776-7297, by email jeralynlujluc@gmail.com, or visit the Sagebrush Deer Studio/Gallery on Facebook.