Signed Joseph Archuleta and dated 1989, a large as life cat naive figural carving from the tradition of Felipe Benito Archuleta. Felipe Benito Archuleta (1910-1991) grew up poor. He left school at an early age to work as a field hand, a stonemason, cook, and for many years a carpenter. In 1964, during a period of financial difficulty, the fifty-four-year-old Archuleta received a vision from God that he should make wood carvings. The animals he began to carve were so distinctive and compelling that Archuleta quickly gained considerable success and reputation. By the 1970s his works were at the Museum of International Folk Art in Santa Fe, and collectors were enthusiastically acquiring them. The artist's son and grandson often assisted in the work, and thus Felipe established a lively animal-carving tradition in his locale. Measurements: 36 inches long at base, 50 inches from the tip of tail to front paws, height at tip of tail 26 inches. "

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