We had the good fortune of connecting with Miguel Licona and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Miguel, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I started woodworking in college and it had always been a hobby of mine. My wife, Gloria has been a silversmith for almost 20 years. When she moved to the US from Peru 13 years ago, she started making jewelry as a full time to supplement my teacher’s income. Gloria got her start selling her work at our local farmer’s market. We packed her booth into our tiny car and travelled all over the country doing many art shows. I had been teaching high school for 7 years and was ready for a change. So, I quit my job and jumped into woodworking full time. My wife and I did many markets and shows together. Then, almost five years ago, we opened our brick and mortar gallery, Cielo Handcrafted on Canyon Road in Santa Fe, NM, with our work and the work of one ceramic artist. Since then, we have grown to represent about 30 New Mexico based artists and several individual artists and women arts collectives in Peru. Gloria and I still do our own crafts while running the gallery together and raising our son, Joaquin.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I believe that what makes my work unique is that I strive to honor and showcase the original form and grain pattern of the wood that I work with. The figure and flaws in each piece of wood are incorporated and accentuated in my designs. I combine wood and stone in a seamless way that makes them appear that they had always been together in that way.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I assume you are referring to my home town of Santa Fe. There are endless beautiful landscapes to see and hike through, so many mountains, rivers, deserts, and forests all in one place. The town of Santa Fe has its own unique cuisine and there are many authentic cultural experiences .

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I really owe a lot to the instructors at the Santa Fe Community College. They are masters of their craft and their woodshop is top of the line. Doug Jones and Christoph Neander are my mentos and friends that have taught me woodworking skills as well as many lessons on running your own business.

Website: www.wildedgewoodworks.com

Instagram: wildedgewoodworks

Image Credits
Brandon Soder

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