TRADITIONAL AND NATURAL PIGMENTS
Although you can call it all traditional, not all pigments used by the classic Santeros were found locally. Some pigments just weren’t available locally and were imported from Mexico up the Camino real. Lead white and kings yellow, both highly poisonous, was imported along with Prussian blue, vermilion, cinnabar, indigo blue and cochineal. Indigo and Cochineal was also used by weavers and were a valuable
commodity. There are two types of materials, mineral and plants.
Mineral pigments
Mineral pigments don’t need to be boiled or soaked but must be very finely ground prior to use. What is so great about living in "Colorful Colorado" is the abundance of natural earth pigments that can be found. Red or iron oxide is in abundance in places like garden of the Gods and Red rocks. Higher in the mountains yellow and grey oxides can be found. You can also use clay and other minerals. Hard to find are natural green pigments. There is some green shale that can be used, but is very hard to grind. In Placitas New Mexico can be found a natural green earth, which stems from the natural copper in the soil. A type of persian blue can be found from ground azurite, which is a gemstone found on the Zuni reservation. There exist a red oxide known as "almagre" that is from a cave near Questa NM. Interesting to note that this same red is used by various Native American tribes. It is only coincidental that Santeros and Natives use the same material. The Native americans use it because it is sacred to them, while Santeros will use it to create something sacred.
Vegetable pigments
plant materials need to be seeped in water to extract the color from it. Almost any colored earth can be used, but not all plants can be used. Natural yellow can obtained from sunflowers, marigolds, chamiso or any other yellow flower. A pink color can be extracted from roses or hollyhocks. A light purple can be made with purple hollyhocks or petunias. A red can be made with the shavings of brazilwood. Browns can be made using aspen bark, dark walnut husks or madder root. Great care must be taken with vegetable pigments to avoid mold growing on them. The pigments should be thoroughly dried out before storage.
All pigments need a binding material in order for the pigment to adhere to the surface. It is unclear as to what the Historical Santeros employed as their binder, most likely it was egg whites, yucca syrup or fruit tree sap. Honey or unprocessed sugar can also be used. Today the most common binder used is gum Arabic. I have used yucca syrup but found that the syrup has a very short shelf life and also causes the paint to
grow mold at a rapid rate. Natural pigments will develop mold if not fully dried out after each use. It is best to make small batches of the pigment to avoid waste.
The varnish most often employed is made from Pinon Sap. The hard nodules of the pinon sap is gathered and soaked in a grain alcohol. The varnish is strained to remove impurities and is either applied in a heavy coat or light. The Santo should be coated with varnish on the back and the sides as well as on the painted surfaces. This helps protect the wood from cracking and warping. Some Santeros also put a final coat of beeswax polish to further protect the work. Historically a coating of Manteca (Lard) was rubbed on the Santos to give it a shine and protect it. This had to be applied almost on a yearly basis and had a nasty habit of attracting dust and insects. Preservationist Like E. Boyd dipped many Historical Pieces in bees wax to protect them from further disintegration.
Although you can call it all traditional, not all pigments used by the classic Santeros were found locally. Some pigments just weren’t available locally and were imported from Mexico up the Camino real. Lead white and kings yellow, both highly poisonous, was imported along with Prussian blue, vermilion, cinnabar, indigo blue and cochineal. Indigo and Cochineal was also used by weavers and were a valuable
commodity. There are two types of materials, mineral and plants.
Mineral pigments
Mineral pigments don’t need to be boiled or soaked but must be very finely ground prior to use. What is so great about living in "Colorful Colorado" is the abundance of natural earth pigments that can be found. Red or iron oxide is in abundance in places like garden of the Gods and Red rocks. Higher in the mountains yellow and grey oxides can be found. You can also use clay and other minerals. Hard to find are natural green pigments. There is some green shale that can be used, but is very hard to grind. In Placitas New Mexico can be found a natural green earth, which stems from the natural copper in the soil. A type of persian blue can be found from ground azurite, which is a gemstone found on the Zuni reservation. There exist a red oxide known as "almagre" that is from a cave near Questa NM. Interesting to note that this same red is used by various Native American tribes. It is only coincidental that Santeros and Natives use the same material. The Native americans use it because it is sacred to them, while Santeros will use it to create something sacred.
Vegetable pigments
plant materials need to be seeped in water to extract the color from it. Almost any colored earth can be used, but not all plants can be used. Natural yellow can obtained from sunflowers, marigolds, chamiso or any other yellow flower. A pink color can be extracted from roses or hollyhocks. A light purple can be made with purple hollyhocks or petunias. A red can be made with the shavings of brazilwood. Browns can be made using aspen bark, dark walnut husks or madder root. Great care must be taken with vegetable pigments to avoid mold growing on them. The pigments should be thoroughly dried out before storage.
All pigments need a binding material in order for the pigment to adhere to the surface. It is unclear as to what the Historical Santeros employed as their binder, most likely it was egg whites, yucca syrup or fruit tree sap. Honey or unprocessed sugar can also be used. Today the most common binder used is gum Arabic. I have used yucca syrup but found that the syrup has a very short shelf life and also causes the paint to
grow mold at a rapid rate. Natural pigments will develop mold if not fully dried out after each use. It is best to make small batches of the pigment to avoid waste.
The varnish most often employed is made from Pinon Sap. The hard nodules of the pinon sap is gathered and soaked in a grain alcohol. The varnish is strained to remove impurities and is either applied in a heavy coat or light. The Santo should be coated with varnish on the back and the sides as well as on the painted surfaces. This helps protect the wood from cracking and warping. Some Santeros also put a final coat of beeswax polish to further protect the work. Historically a coating of Manteca (Lard) was rubbed on the Santos to give it a shine and protect it. This had to be applied almost on a yearly basis and had a nasty habit of attracting dust and insects. Preservationist Like E. Boyd dipped many Historical Pieces in bees wax to protect them from further disintegration.