As A Child, I would spend countless hours sitting under the fruit trees
with my grandfather, Apolonio Martinez. My grandfather would place a leather
homemade apron on his lap, and wear a leather glove. Then he would begin
carving. I admired his work tremendously. During this period, I would also
observe my grandmother, Celestina Martinez, sand all his completed wood
pieces. When she finished sanding, the pieces were flawless.
This was the
beginning of my love of woodworking. The love for this art stayed in my
heart for many years to come. I would always say, "some day I will begin
carving and work with wood." It seemed as though there was never time to
work on my dream, until I was told I would be part of the reduction-in-force
at Los Alamos National Laboratory.
This was
the beginning of my career as a woodworker. We were given money by LANL
to retrain in a new field. I chose to take classes at Northern New Mexico
Community College, under the direction of the late master woodworker, Tim
Roybal.
This was
quite a challenge for me since I had been working in an office for over
20 years. I had never worked with wood tools until I began taking classes.
My size was also a factor. Many times in class, I worked with pieces of
rough lumber that were 3 inches thick and twice my size. Even with these
obstacles, I would continue working on my goal to learn how to work with
wood.
After a
couple of years of going to school, I reached one of my goals. I was the
first person in the history of NNMCC to receive an associates degree in
woodworking. By this time, I had also purchased enough tools to have my
own shop at home.
I work out
of my home with my 4 year old daughter at my side. I put on my apron on
my lap, put my carving glove on my left hand and begin carving or sanding.
She watches me with admiration and asks if she can carve or sand. I tell
her, "someday mi hita, I will give you your own carving tools, but for
now you can sand this cross." And the love of woodworking continues.
My dream
has come true, and I would like to share my dream with you. Enjoy my work
that is made with love and pride.