Funding for COLORES was provided in part by: New Mexico PBS, Great Southwestern Arts & Education Endowment Fund, and the Nellita E. Walker Fund for KNME-TV at the Albuquerque Community Foundation New Mexico Arts, a division of the Department of Cultural Affairs, and by the National Endowment for the Arts and Viewers Like You JACOB GUTIERREZ, TRANSFORMS TIME SPENT ON NEW MEXICO RANCHES INTO “SACRED HERD” A 17 PANEL BOOK HONORING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HUMANS AND ANIMALS.

USING BOLD, JOYFUL COLORS PAINTER SKETZII, REVEALS DEEP PERSONAL STORIES OF PUERTO RICAN MIGRATION, HURRICANE MARIA, AND THE EMOTIONAL WEIGHT HIDDEN BENEATH BEAUTY.

KNOWN AS “THE GODFATHER” OF LITTLE HAITI, MURALIST SERGE, USES PUBLIC ART TO PRESERVE CULTURAL MEMORY AND PASS HIS LEGACY ON TO THE NEXT GENERATION IT'S ALL AHEAD ON COLORES!

ANCESTRAL BOND >> Faith: Jacob, thank you for joining me on Colores today to speak about Sacred Herd your new book.

So to get us started, I wanted to talk about this relationship between animal and ranching.

It seems very sacred in the book.

Can you tell me why does it feel sacred to you -- this relationship?

>> Gutierrez: Well, yeah, it is so personal, really this relationship that you have, like -- with these animals, and, you know -- I am not a rancher myself.

I grew up kind of in it but I grew up mostly in Albuquerque.

So I have, like, the luxury of kind of looking outside in.

And I also had the luxury of meeting so many people along this journey, along this residency.

And then once I was actually in the process of making this book and working with these ranchers, working with these herders, it became much larger than what I originally expected, because I saw how each of these people interacted with their herds, their flocks, their animals.

And it was so deeply sacred.

>> Faith: You visited a couple of ranches and talked with ranchers.

What is the most important thing you learned about the animals, and what did you come to understand about them?

>> Gutierrez: I learned just like -- the personalities that these animals had.

You know -- you spent some time with these animals and you're looking them dead in the eyes how you look at, maybe, a family member and -- you may not be able to communicate verbally, you may not be able to understand the same language, but you start to see their personalities.

You see kind of the identities behind these animals.

And, you know, we still -- there is still a symbiotic relationship that we share with these animals where we support them, they support us.

And so I really, really was able to look inside that, that world, you know, that that sacred bond that, you know, we shared with these animals.

I think a lot of people in, you know, this globalized, industrialized world can kind of feel a little bit removed from where their food comes from, where their clothes come from.

And, you know, I think being out there in the field, in these houses, in these ranches, you know, you really get a appreciation of not only what -- the animals are for, but also what these ranchers do to provide for us as well.

>> Faith: And how did you -- capture those personalities with this book?

How did you capture that individuality?

>> Gutierrez: So a lot of my work, previously, to this, I was depicting family members in a very sacred light -- you know, drawing on religious themes that I grew up with.

I started depicting my sisters as a saints as these very holy figures.

And so when I drew my book and I wanted to highlight this ranching tradition, it felt like almost natural that, like, I would continue this type of iconography I had worked with before.

I went out and bought a camera, and I just started visiting all these, ranches and herds.

And so the first -- the first process in capturing these personalities was to spend time with them.

You know, I couldn't do anything superficially.

I needed to do it right.

And so what that meant was -- if I wanted to know who these animals were, I needed to meet them in their own environment.

And so, actually, when I had gone to Peñasco, I had met with the Lopez family, and they took me up the mountain to where the cattle grazing for the summer.

And we probably spent like two hours -- I was laying in the grass with the cows.

We were just, you know, hanging out.

We were just seeing how they were in their own natural environment.

I had to gain their trust as I was in these environments And then when I got back to the studio, I took those photographs and I then translated them into woodblocks.

As I'm doing these carvings -- like, I'm thinking back to these memories that I had with these animals, I'm thinking about how their fur was in -- blowing in the wind.

How their horns kind of looked - maybe they were askew, maybe they were straight, how their hooves looked.

I just was so enamored by some of these animals.

And so I can recall each one of these animals, and how they acted that day and how they kind of responded to me.

And so when I was carving, I was trying to, emulate some of that, and I was able to take that process even further when I translated my woodblocks into a risograph.

I spent days and nights writing and each one of these animals -- I portrayed six different animals in this book, and each of these animals has a write up of not only what their histories are, but also kind of how my relationship was in those moments.

>> Faith: What do you think -- keeps these ranchers holding on to this way of life?

>> Gutierrez: I've got some mixed answers, but they all kind of followed a general theme.

As I was meeting with all these -- these people last year and -- tradition is a big one.

Tradition, tradition, tradition.

And a lot of these ranchers, you know, they're telling me that they're not even -- they're not in this to make a profit.

Some of these ranchers are actively losing money, preserving this way of life.

It speaks to their their traditions.

It speaks to their values.

And, you know, I was fortunate enough to just witness all of it.

This book is an ode to New Mexico.

This book is a love letter to -- the history, the traditions that got me here.

And so this book is -- you know, a way to pay homage to all that.

I hope that people see how divine these histories and these traditions are.

And I wanted to start -- with ranching, because without these animals, we wouldn't have gotten here in the first place.

And so, yeah, I hope that people can walk away with -- you know, a little bit more love for New Mexico and the people and these animals who got us here.

[peaceful music] BENEATH THE COLORS [outdoor ambiance and humming] >> Sketzii: Like, I'm in downtown Saint Pete or downtown anywhere else -- Tampa.

And then I go to PR to kind of have my -- to go home, like, and it's in the country-country, I'm barefoot all the time.

And then this place, the artist residency feels like that to me.

Like, if I can't go home, I'll come here to work.

[Upbeat music] >> Sketzii: I think being a military brat is what influences the diaspora aspect of my work.

So I've been able to travel, visit lots of different cities different places, meet a bunch of different people, but I'm from Hatillo, Puerto Rico, so it's this dynamic that I have where I live in the in-between at all times.

[brush strokes on canvas] I have to do like a base coat.

I can't leave it, like -- it's just not my jam.

[brush strokes on canvas] It's that way too, if like the light -- if I -- once I do the outlines like usually I do everything that's like super matte on here, but if for any reason it's transparent or like -- something peeks through a crack like you'll see yellow, you'll see another bright color, you know?

I don't ever want it to be white.

Like, if I do white, it has to be intentionally.

I put white on the canvas, not from the primer.

[Upbeat music] When I try to tell my stories, I have a really bright color palette, and my color palette is reflective of the homes that you will see -- on the island.

And they're actually like -- color matches to like homes that are there.

So that's why I went with that color palette.

It's a very like, Latino color palette.

It's very much of the culture, but then people interpret it as like, “happy.” They think my colors are "happy" So, a lot of people who walk up to my work and they're like, “oh, I love your work.

It's so beautiful, so bright.

It just makes me feel happy.” And here I am talking about like, Hurricane Maria and how distraught I am that I couldn't be there to help out my family.

Like, I'm crying underneath a flamboyant tree and they're like, “it looks great, it looks happy!” And so that's probably the hardest thing to overcome.

The fact that, like, my color palette gives one sense of joy to people.

But then what I'm actually talking about isn't just something that's pretty on a canvas.

It's, like, the metaphors are about really deep stories.

Things that I've been through, things that other people have been through, that, that come from PR and so that's probably been the hardest thing to overcome is kind of explain that part of it.

And then as an artist, you don't want to overexplain anything or you don't want to feel like you're defending yourself.

So it's like, “hey, take this for what it is.” And I love that you think that it's beautiful and it's bright and that it looks joyous but like, take a second to really look at it, take a second to read it, look at the title, try and put together, you know, the pieces."

That's all that I can hope someone sees in it.

That's also why I think, it's so important for me to tell these stories.

When someone else connects to it, they get it like, “wow, I remember what happened during Hurricane Maria.” Like, “I was there too,” or “oh, I know what it is to go back and forth with a suitcase since I was three years old.” Like, “I completely get that.” You know, my work is for the people, so whatever somebody interprets is what they interpret, right?

So I'm not mad at all if like, what they interpret isn't what I was trying to say, if their interpretation is something that connects with them, like their soul or their story.

I love to hear that because I have heard things all over the place about my pieces and I go, “wow!” I would have never thought in a million years, like, “that's what you got from this?” And I love hearing those interpretations, because then, it makes me think, “oh, like, I can think outside the box now.” Like, it doesn't have to be just what I wanted to portray in my work.

[outdoor ambiance] >> Sketzii: Being out here and being like, disconnected from -- city life and noises especially, helps a lot to concentrate.

It makes me want to, like, not look at my phone.

You know, a lot of it is, like, looking at your phone and scrolling and, like, a lot of my daytime stuff is networking and, like, doing meetings and trying to figure out how to make the world a better place and all of these things, and when I come out here, it's just me.

Like it's me, just by myself.

It's me and animals, which I love animals.

I think I like animals better than I like people.

[Laughs] So I guess that's another way that it influences me -- being out here.

Like, the animals end up in my art.

[Upbeat music] >> Sketzii: I find my community especially, since I've been a professional artist for the past five or six years through social media, through Instagram, specifically.

And that is how I talk to people.

That's how I talk to my community.

I also love going to different types of networking events.

I work with multiple nonprofits and talk to other artists, other people that are in the community, community leaders.

And it's very much a part of my work.

Now that I've been involved in several nonprofits I've been able to do community type of projects, and it started -- my painting classes and it started my community murals.

So it's something now that I didn't even think I'd be getting into when I first started as a professional artist.

It's developed over time, it's actually my number one favorite thing to do with art is to, like, have people involved with my pieces.

[birds singing] I'm all about sharing information and resources -- Like, one, yeah, it feels good to do it for the community but two, like when I see someone else, they have this potential and they're just kind of like lost in the sauce and they don't know exactly where to go with it.

And I'm like, “I was you.” “I was you a couple of years ago.” “Let me tell you about this, this and this.” “You need to sign up here.” “You need to fill out these forms.” “You need to meet these people at these places.” It's just -- it's cool to really watch someone grow.

I think it's really good to surround yourself with a community of people, whether it's friends, whether it's families, whether it's coworkers or a network of a community or something to have people around you who like, recognize what your talents are and just keep telling you that same message over and over again, because it's a mind thing.

At the end of the day, we are our own worst enemy.

So for anybody that feels lost in the sauce or has Impostor Syndrome, we all do.

None of us know what we are doing, ever.

You just have to like, take the risk, go with it, see what works out and be okay with some things just not working out the way you want it to.

What's meant for you -- I truly believe what's meant for you is meant for you, so you should just go for it and not worry about what anybody else has to say.

[Romantic guitar music] ONE WALL, ONE MESSAGE >> Serge: A lot of people see the "Serge" They never see my face.

If you go around -- if you've been to Little Haiti, there's no way you would tell me that this sign -- You do not recognize that sign?

Yeah, and it's me.

[Laughs] [Upbeat music] >> Serge: My name is Serge Toussaint born and grew up in Haiti, were raised in New York.

[Upbeat music] I'm an artist, all my life.

That's all I know, is to paint.

Ever since I was a little kid.

This is all I do.

I just sketch and paint and paint and paint, paint, paint.

Never been to school for art, nothing.

I was just born with that.

[outdoor ambiance] I want every Haitian to know that they fit in.

I want all Haitians to know that their stories matters.

You know I mean?

That their pieces matters.

And most of my murals that I've painted has something to do with Haitians.

That's something to do with the community.

Mind you now, I don't stop at Haitian art.

I do all kind of work, because Miami is like, art is everywhere.

I got works in Calle Ocho.

I got two works in Overtown, Liberty City, Miami Gardens.

I don't paint Haitian stuff there.

You can see I bring a picture of Malcolm X, like if I go to, Overtown, those are the kind of works that they want to see.

I can't go to Overtown and paint a picture of Dessalines .

They're going to be like, " What is this?"

You have to be able to do things that goes with their own community.

But me as a Haitian, So I really do things that my people can identify you know what I mean?

Such as, Dessalines, I did the the work down the next block of the big Haitian flag.

You learn from my work.

You learn from what is this supposed to be?

What is that supposed to be?

So when you come to Little Haiti, by the time you leave that of Haiti, you leave with a little piece of what this culture is about.

You know what I mean?

Because -- whenever culture you go to, there's a piece that caught your attention for you to ask questions.

So I rode my bike to a Little Havana Calle Ocho, the minute I got up there, I just goosebumps -- You know you step into a different community because you see a picture of Celia Cruz, you see Jose Marti, you saw the Havana buildings.

As an artist, you have to respect people's community.

And this -- when I left Little Havana, I left with a piece of their history.

So I want people to come to Little Haiti.

When you leave Little Haiti, I need you to go home with a piece of what my culture is about.

This is where my art comes from.

[Upbeat hip-hop music] >> Serge: 30 years, 30 years, Yeah, 30 years and one day at a time.

Not only that, it's been -- It's been crazy.

Yeah, it's like -- like, I'm an Old Pop.

Those graffiti artist, they call me, "The Godfather" which I never knew.

We have a famous artist called, " HoxxoH" famous graffiti artist!

We have the "Buk 50" the famous graffiti artist.

You know what I mean?

I can name them, they are very great artists, And mind you now, they're telling me that I inspired them.

I'm like, "whoa, this is something good."

You're a mind blowing artist, man.

You doing freaking murals -- me and you was in Miami, and now you're telling me that I'm the one that inspired you?

It's because when I came in 1994, Overtown -- Wynwood, that was Overtown.

There wasn't nothing on there.

But by them riding the bikes in Little Haiti you start to seeing my work.

I inspired them to do tag, to start spraying and then they started spraying -- they didn't want to come here.

It's the next block to me, they start doing their own thing.

So they say, this "The Godfather" Serge did this, we're not going to touch Serge work.

They have that respect for me, you know what I mean?

So I love it, man.

That got me thinking, like I'm really -- I'm doing something positive in this community.

[Upbeat music] >> Serge: I've been doing canvas all my life.

So the mural was always something that I love to do.

I'm more into showing the work to the world because there's not a lot of people that come to art galleries.

It's something special.

It's a privilege to come to an art gallery.

So, that's the reason why you don't see me having too many canvases.

But since Brown offered me to come to do a artwork, I figured, like, "okay, why don't I just take the opportunity to showcase a few of my works."

>> Sanchez: I wanted to bring him to a white cube space and exhibit his works differently as a curatorial challenge, and I think it works.

I'm really satisfied with the way it's come out.

>> Serge: It's something I've been doing all my life.

I started painting when I was 10-12 years old, so it's already stacked up there.

So, like I said, I don't paint too many canvas, it's something I paint fast, I did this last night.

To show the old signage, before there were computers.

This is how we started, with the paintbrush.

I make sure it's an old piece of plywood I find in my back yard.

I cut it in half and freestyle it.

And it looks old.

It looks like the back in the days.

>> Sanchez: Serge's works on canvas.

They look aged, they look vintage, and that's hard to achieve.

I mean, these pieces are all from this year.

You could tell me these pieces were made in 1984 and I'd believe you.

So, he's got that expertise in sign making, and -- you know, adorning the storefronts with the businesses and the products that they sell.

>> Serge: I just cannot not bring the business in.

And when I look at this white wall, man, it's like, "woah, I want to paint something there."

Don't let me see anything white, because I want to paint something on it, yeah.

I love huge work.

I grids on big work like the one I did for the Miami World Center.

It's 88 feet square, 30 stories up that you have the grids because there's no way that you have to go -- you could go back and look at what you're doing.

You have to put it on scale.

So, that's the kind of work that I create.

So, huge work.

But most of the time I'm just free handing it.

I just -- stuff like that.

it just come out of my head, I don't have to see this to paint that.

It's already got that -- stock in there.

That's why it only take me one day to do it.

Like this, 30 minutes, 40 minutes.

I paint those fast.

Because it's already registered up there, but if it's a huge wall that I cannot go back and I'm on top of a lifter then I grid that, I put that on the scale and I sketch it first, then I put the colors next.

[Upbeat music] >> Serge: I also have a little school -- art school, to teach kids at the Little Haiti Cultural Center every Saturday, every Sunday I like to give back, you know what I mean?

Like I said, I'm getting old.

It come to a point where I don't want people to just talk about Serge, I want people to talk 10-15 years from now when I'm no longer around, for my name to be a legacy for other kids to grow up to have my style.

And when they ask him the same question for him to say that, "hey man, it was Serge."

"I thought he been gone, about 30 years he been dead, it was because of Serge that I became this, I became that."

So this is why I teach kids.

I have grown-ups [that] want to come to my class.

[they're] welcome.

But I'm more concentrated on teaching the children.

You know what I mean?

Helping them to know that is a -- don't let your mom and dad let you know that it's not a great career to be an artist.

If you want to make it a good career, you can.

Because I made a great career out of my artwork.

I ended up taking care of my kids.

I ended up buying my house, my house is paid, you know what I mean?

All because of the brushes.

So I like to teach, give back.

So when you're [I am] no longer around -- so, people will know that I didn't die with my talent.

I passed it on, yeah.

To all the children that's coming up because the kids are the future.

[Upbeat music] >> Serge: Still today, 30 years later.

Serge still here.

Getting old, but I'm still here.

People still telling me, “This my husband, this my wife, I've been watching you ever since I was in middle school.” Yeah, well, I'm still here, one day at a time.

I'm still here.

I'm still making changes in my community.

I'm still here painting stuff that are -- that are hurting my people, you know what I mean?

If something happens in Haiti right now, I don't write it, I'm not a writer, but I'm going to paint it.

I like to send out messages, you know, by you looking at the words, you're going to stop and look, even though you don't speak no Creole, this one says, "Anmwe" You want to ask question, what's the word, "Anmwe" mean?

Anmwe means, "help."

"Help!"

So, people asking questions.

If you look at the work, you'll see two hands squeezing the flag, if you squeeze the flag, that's a sign of hurting the flag.

The flag represent Haiti, by squeezing it, it's like, they can't breathe.

The work name is, We Can't Breathe "We need help, we choking."

That's what my work is about.

Haiti is choking.

Haiti can't breathe.

So my messages has something to do with what's going on actually in Haiti.

And you see the S.O.S., we got blood dripping on it.

So, I wanted the community -- world to know that that little blue and red flag country, right there.

They're asking for something.

They asking for help.

Because not a lot of people that listen to the news, not a lot of people that watch TV.

Well, you drive a lot going up and down the streets.

You will you will one day ask, what is this all about?

this looks mean, but it's a message, I like to send out messages with my brushes.

[Upbeat music] THE AWARD WINNING ARTS AND CULTURE SERIES COLORES IS NOW AVAILABLE ON THE PBS APP, YOUTUBE, INSTAGRAM, FACEBOOK AND AT NMPBS.ORG.

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Funding for Colores was provided in part by: New Mexico PBS Great Southwestern Arts & Education Endowment Fund, and the Nellita E. Walker Fund for KNME-TV at the Albuquerque Community Foundation New Mexico Arts, a division of the Department of Cultural Affairs, and by the National Endowment for the Arts and Viewers Like You