George Lopez

George Lopez came from several generations of wood-carvers. The work of his father, Jose Dolores Lopez, and that of his nephew Eluid Levi Martinez also appears in the collections of the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Lopez grew up in Cordova, New Mexico, but ran away from his home when he was nineteen to work on the railroad. He returned to New Mexico many years later and devoted his time to carving animals and traditional santos (saints).

https://americanart.si.edu/artist/george-lopez-2992