coindo melchor Gomez

LIke Ventura Fabian and Francisco Santiago, Coindo is a first generation artisan. His son and daughter in law see the opportunity of carving as a business and his grandson, who has talent, now works with Jacobo and Maria Angeles as it takes time to make a name for oneself. Coindo looks after his goats and carves when he can. Recently, his work has been painted by his daughter in law Maura Ramos. He is the originator of a small group of works he repeats again and again. A mermaid holding a child, a naked woman wearing a bird mask and a cart pulled by oxen.

Coindo, whilst living in San Martin, a village of carvers and painters, he is untouched by it. He is one of the hardest artisans to collect. To have a piece is a stroke of luck.  When we first visited him we only knew that he lived in San Martin. The internet shows two photographs of his home. One shows a lane and in the distance a range of hills. The memory of that was used to locate him and the match was perfect when we stood in that lane and saw the outline of the hills. Next to us was an old wooden gate, rusty metal fencing and goats in a yard.