Plate 2: Jemez Book of Baptisms: From Portfolio "Spanish Colonial Designs of New Mexico" 1935 - 1942

This brown ink drawing, part of a portfolio called "Spanish Colonial Designs of New Mexico," seems to capture a page from a Jemez Book of Baptisms. It's like peeking into someone's super-detailed notebook. I can picture the artist carefully filling in each little flower and cross shape. Maybe they were thinking about the importance of these baptisms, or just really getting into the rhythm of the pattern. The ink looks like it's been lovingly applied, each line considered. It reminds me of the way Agnes Martin would repeat a simple grid, finding endless variation within a strict structure. Those hanging lamps on either side of the cross—they almost look like scales, balancing the earthly and the divine. And the whole thing is framed by these little floral motifs that feel both decorative and symbolic. I can almost smell the church incense. Artists are always in conversation with each other across time and place. There's so much room for different ways of seeing and feeling.