¡Colores!; 1202; Los Escondidos; Ernesto Martinez Interview 2 at La Fonda

I don't feel comfortable. It's not warm enough. We can put more lines. How did you come about it? You were saying that you were kind of thinking sometimes maybe it wasn't a good idea. Oh yes, because I was saying that I am coming to retirement age and then I realized that art is going to retire. When do they retire?

You paint something, do a nice landscape or nice painting. After you finish it, then that painting that you just finished inspires you to paint another one. So you go on to painting another one and it happens the same thing over and over. So when do you stop? You come to 65 or retirement age and you still haven't painted the last painting. So you paint that painting but then you are ready for another one. When you finish that, it happens all over and over. So when do you retire? When do you stop? When do you stop painting? Because I haven't died yet, you know.

I don't know if I can continue painting after I'm dead or not. I don't know. But I have a feeling I'm not going to retire. Is that tiring or is that exciting for you? What? The fact that it's just a never-ending job. No, it gives you a good feeling that you're able to do what you want to do or what you can do. You know, it'd be sad if tomorrow a doctor or somebody told me that I wouldn't be able to paint anymore. You know what? I think my life would be at the end right there, you know. Then I would really retire. That's dynamite. That is what you said. What is true? You know, it's true. It might have to do with the way you're dedicated to your work, you know. To be dedicated to certain profession or work, you have to like it.

You have to like it, you know. Like I said, one good painting deserves another. So you go on, on and on. And I don't know of anybody that any artist that says he's retired. They all paint as long as they can see. But I think that that's going to happen to me. That's wonderful. I don't have anything else to ask you. I think it occurred to everything. But again, I just want to ask you. Is there anything else that you want to talk about? Because why I'd love to listen to you. I know these guys would too.

There's anything else that you'd like to talk about. It's hard life. It's easy. This is it. Because painting is easy, you know. Well, I tried to paint a couple of months ago. But you're not for painting. That's why you would do better as a drugstore or something else, you know. Doctor or what you can't work you do, maybe. I tried so hard. Because I couldn't do anything else other than art. That I would be satisfied with. I mean, I guess I could do a lot of other things. But painting is what keeps me going. I like color. An artist was brought into the world to make the world beautiful. Just like a musician.

A musician makes the world happy. So I'm glad to be part of the group that makes the world beautiful. And I invite anybody who wants to come to the hotel to enjoy my work. I'll be honored. And I thank them very much. That's kind of my motivation, Chris. You don't mind? No, please. From being an artist instead of paying, it's a little different than being an artist anywhere else. Because there's a lot of artists here. And some of them are just outstandingly well-known and all that. Did you ever have fears? Did you ever think being an artist in a place like this could be a challenge? Well, when you start doing what you're going to do, you don't think about hardship for whatever can happen.

You just want to accomplish something. And it's good because that keeps you going. You don't get discouraged. And as far as being an artist in Santa Fe, well, I haven't had any troubles. Like I said before, I'm fair with my work. I don't try to get rich on one painting or two. But I like people to have them. You know, so they can enjoy them. And I paint something that people can afford. Anybody can afford. Do you have anything else you have to buy? That's anything to buy? I think that's anything else you want to talk about.

This is beautiful. Anything else you want to say? No, I'd say that I'm happy to have been employed this long here. I'm on my 77th year here. Not 77th, 47th year. Does it seem like it's been 47 years? I don't know. You start doing something. Going to some kind of work and career that you start with. And you're so busy. Years go by. Your time goes by. And then it comes time to retire. Like you wake up from big brim. And you wonder where your time went. Because you started young.

And you wake up old. And then you wonder, what did my time go? It's a great line. But there are markers in your home and in the place you work that speak to the time. And every year, every month that you've been here, there are things that say, yes, I was here. I did this. Naturally, you were sleep. You were busy. And you lost track of time. But in my case, I can look back 10 years, 20 years, 30 or 40 years.

And I can see who I spent my time. So I just hope I can continue doing what I'm doing for still a long time. If you don't make me happy. I don't know what else to ask you. When you told your parents you wanted to be an artist, what did they say? Did they cancel you? No. Not really. Because those were hard working times, I believe, right? When you had the time to erase, you know, a lot of kids went to work. I don't know if they really considered work or not, but to me, it was at least an occupation. And then you started working, working, working,

until becoming your profession, you know. But I'm happy. I had a good life, happy life. I didn't kill myself working, but I did a lot of work. I think we're done. Well, if there's anything here that you don't know, maybe we just just cut it off and just... Thank you for talking. Thank you. That was very nice and easy. That was a very good thing. Thank you. Are you feeling it, Mom? Hello? Hello? Yes, sir.

Do you have a hand? Yes, sir. What do you know? What do you know? Do you know how many years ago? Yes. Nowadays it's only been two years since you've been employed. Where can you come from? To help learn from the someone you love? I like it better down here. I like it better down here.

I like it better down here. I like it better down here. I like it better down here.

I like it better down here. I like it better down here. I like it better down here.

I like it better down here. I like it better down here. I like it better down here.

I like it better down here. I like it better down here. I like it better down here.

I like it better down here. I like it better down here. I like it better down here.

I like it better down here. I like it better down here. I like it better down here.

I like it better down here. I like it better down here. I like it better down here.

I like it better down here. I like it better down here. I like it better down here.

I like it better down here. I like it better down here. I like it better down here.

I like it better down here. I like it better down here. I like it better down here.

I like it better down here. Come on. Come on.

Come on. Come on. Come on.

Come on.