Ron S. Rodriguez Folk Art Bobcat — Cottonwood, Santa Fe, Signed 2012

Somewhere between a warning and a dare, this snarling bobcat commands the room. Carved from a single solid piece of cottonwood by Santa Fe folk artist Ron S. Rodriguez and dated December 31, 2012, the seated figure is fully realized in the Archuleta family tradition — exaggerated open jaw exposing individually carved wood teeth against a deep red painted cavity, green marble eyes set into carved sockets, plastic whiskers projecting from the muzzle, and a raffia ruff encircling the neck. Plastic claws cap each toe. Brown spots are hand-brushed over a cream ground across the body, legs, and haunches. The form is cohesive and deliberate: stub tail, upright tufted ears, thick paws planted flat — a bobcat caught mid-snarl.

Rodriguez is the grandson of Felipe Archuleta and nephew of Leroy Archuleta — two of the most celebrated names in American folk art, with works in the Smithsonian, the Museum of International Folk Art, and Christie's New York. Ron is the last of the family still carving in this tradition. This piece is signed and dated on the underside in marker: Ron S. Rodriguez / 12-31-2012 / Santa Fe.

CONDITION

Very Good. Paint is well-adhered throughout with no lifting or losses; minor surface rubbing to the cream ground on the haunches and lower body. Raffia ruff shows light age-related fraying at the fringe edges — no missing material.

DIMENSIONS / SPECIFICATIONS

• Height: 15 in.
• Width: 18 in.
• Depth: 5.5 in.
• Weight: 6 lbs
• Medium: Cottonwood, paint, marble eyes, wood teeth, plastic whiskers, plastic claws, raffia ruff
• Signed underside in marker: Ron S. Rodriguez / 12-31-2012 / Santa Fe
• Campbell's Soup Can (4" H) Shown for Scale

ARTIST

Ron S. Rodriguez (Ron Archuleta Rodriguez), b. 1968, Santa Fe / Tesuque, New Mexico. Third-generation folk art carver — grandson of Felipe Archuleta and nephew of Leroy Archuleta, whose life-size animal carvings are held in collections at the Smithsonian Institution, the Museum of International Folk Art, and the American Folk Art Museum in New York. Rodriguez began carving at age eight in the family workshop in Tesuque and is now the sole family member carrying this tradition forward. His work has appeared at Christie's New York, Santa Fe Art Auction, and the Museum of International Folk Art's landmark 2014 exhibition Wooden Menagerie: Made in New Mexico. His primary gallery is The Shop of the Rainbow Man, Santa Fe.