Luis E. Tapia is a self-taught artist living in New Mexico best known for his innovative wood carvings that blend the local bulto tradition with contemporary culture and co-founding La Cofradia de Artes y Artesanos Hispanicos with artist Frederico Vigil.
[1] Along with conventional santero religious imagery, Tapia incorporates prostitutes, gangs and lowriders.
[2] His santos are often noted for their use of color paint, including commercial watercolors, egg tempera and acrylics.
[4] Since the mid-1980s his works have been exclusively sold through The Owings Gallery in Santa Fe where he has had several solo exhibitions.
[7][8] Tapia, along with fellow artists such as Frederico Vigil, Juanita Jaramillo Lavadie, and Teresa ArchuletaSagel, played an important role in La Cofradía de Artes y Artesanos Hispánicos or simply La Cofradía.