Trained as a carpenter and stone mason, Felipe Benito Archuleta began to whittle and construct small toys and figures in 1967. During the 1970s his animal carvings grew to life-size figures and brought him fame beyond his native Tesuque, New Mexico. Rarely duplicating his figures, in 1976 Archuleta expanded his repertoire beyond familiar animals and began to produce exotic species such as monkeys and big cats, including this lion, consulting illustrations from children’s books and popular magazines. Archuleta’s strongest work maintains his hallmark qualities of raw directness, expressive presence, and power.