The Szekely family collection of sculpture, paintings, mosaic, ceramics and more adorn the Ranch, indoors and out, for guests' edification and enjoyment. Colorful folk art from the major craft regions of Mexico can be seen in public areas as well as guest residences.

The Villas Health Center Art Gallery displays 30-plus works by contemporary Latin American artists, along with the famous J.P. Morgan Collection of primitive Brazilian art.

Well-known artists, craftsmen, writers, poets, and photographers often spend a week working and teaching at the Ranch. In addition, there is an on-site art studio and guest workshop for projects such as jewelry making, drawing and painting.

Brief bios of several of the artists are included here. To fully appreciate and discover their works, join a tour led by our artist-in-residence during your stay.

James Hubbell

This San Diego artist is known for his innovative design work and sensitivity to the environment. He utilizes craft materials ranging from metals, clay, cements and wood to stained glass. His comprehensive design approach allows him to create memorable buildings, chapels, and parks -- places for healing the soul and renewing the spirit. James Hubbell is the creator of the stained glass doors and window in the Administration Building, Kuchumaa Passage, and the mosaic center piece in the Dining Hall buffet area.

Timothy Hinchliff

When you walk into Rancho La Puerta's Dining Hall, you are surrounded by a world of enchantment. Each of our 14 yarn paintings (yarn pressed by hand into soft beeswax) is filled with warm colors, magical themes, and symbols that represent the angels of the Essene Tree of Life. Artist Timothy Hinchliff started this monumental project in 1987 under commission by Rancho La Puerta. This work celebrates the founding of the Ranch, and its earliest days, when Edmond and Deborah Szekely called it the "Essene School of Life." Timothy Hinchliff has continued at the resort for more than 16 years. He leads classes in making prayer arrows and tells the stories behind each of his splendid works. His studio and gallery are in Julian, California.

José Sabóia

The artist was born in Almadina, a small town in the interior of Bahia, Brazil, in 1949. José set out in 1966 for Rio de Janeiro and began painting in 1968 in a studio with fellow artists Leonardo Cunha and Mary Lino. His themes involve rural, interior-like scenes. He plays with shapes, masses, volumes, motions and tempos.

Antonio Poteiro

Antonio Baptista de Souza came to Brazil as a boy from Santa Cristina, Portugal. He learned to be a potter with his father and became known as Poteiro – one who makes pots. He developed from a potter into a celebrated ceramicist and was later encouraged to paint by a local artist, Siron Franco. Poteiro is essentially a storyteller, weaving tales of men, animals and saints –which he collects from the streets, the Bible and his dreams.

Henry Vitor

Born in Guaxupe, Minas Gerais in 1939, Vitor settled in Sáo Paulo, where he worked as a news agent and in advertising. In 1967, he launched himself as a painter of original art. He began exhibiting in 1971, and went on to develop a sound and well-appreciated artistic career. In his painting, Vitor recreates the magical world of his boyhood.

Silvia

Born in 1905 in Morro de Barro Hermelho in Sáo Cristóvào, Rio de Janeiro, Silvia graduated as a teacher from Escola Normal do Distrito Federal, and as a lawyer from Faculdade de Direito do Rio de Janeiro. A writer, translator and professional journalist, she found literature the first vehicle for her intellectual expression. After 1943, she dedicated herself to painting –her real vocation which gained her lasting popularity.

Magdalena Zawadzka

As a young woman in Warsaw, Poland, she began her artistic career creating models for the puppet theatre in Gdansk. She moved on in the '60s to a research center for Polish "pop" art and was artistic director at Art Intrography Cooperative in Warsaw. Magdalena then migrated to Italy before moving to Brazil in 1975, settling in Sáo Paulo. She incorporates in her pictures the exuberance of Brazilian flora and fauna –a world rich in colors and shapes.

Victor Hugo Castañeda

The artist was born in La Palma, Michoacan, Mexico, in 1947. In 1969 he began his career as an artist at the National School of Paint and Sculpture La Esmeralda at the National Institute of Fine Arts in Mexico City. During his artistic studies he collaborated with world-renowned artists. His inspirations include tropical women; natives of the indomitable sierras; and women from forgotten mesas, paths and springs, clouds that cut the solar planes, and from glimmerings and anxieties. Casteñeda pays homage to the significance of women, and to the beautiful as opposed to the ordinary.

Well-known artists, craftsmen, writers, poets, and photographers often spend a week working and teaching at the Ranch (see Events Calendar).