Marcos Orona Reyna is a native of Carlsbad, New Mexico.  His interest in art began at a young age, when he discovered that he appreciated art but just couldn’t afford it. So, he became a self-taught artist, starting with charcoals and moving onto pastels when he realized his work needed color. His work continues to reflect his interest in colors and tones. Marcos eventually took classes in drawing, ceramics, sculpture, and other media at the Scuola Lorenzo Medici in Florence, Italy.

 

Marcos spent most of his career as a Franciscan priest, where he worked for several dioceses throughout the country. He is the founder of the Franciscan Festival of Fine Arts in Las Cruces. At about the same time, he also founded a series of arts education classes at the Franciscan Holy Cross Retreat Center in Las Cruces, where artists from around the country were invited to teach. Marcos was also invited as a guest artist at the Dallas Museum of Art.

 

Marcos has a deep and ongoing relationship with the local Native American community. His lifelong friends include the renowned potters Lonnie Vigil and Lucy Lewis, as well as artist and National Native American Museum curator Manuelita Lovato. He’s celebrated masses at the Santo Domingo, Acoma, Jemez, and Santa Ana pueblos, among others. Manuelita Lovato and Marcos even had an art show together in Burbank, CA. Many of these artists have Marcos’ original work hanging in their homes, which is truly the greatest accolade that one artist can bestow upon another.

 

Marcos retired from the priesthood in 2019 and settled in Los Lunas, New Mexico. He currently works in acrylics and also creates retablos (religious icons) using locally sourced wood and pinon varnish.