FINE ROCH ART
Bringing the Old World into the New
ABOUT FINE ROCH ART
Of Cultures and Furniture
Roch Hart is a 3rd generation native of Santa Fe, New Mexico. His grandmother, an early German immigrant came to Santa Fe to be a Harvey girl at the famous La Fonda Hotel in downtown Santa Fe. Roch loved his grandmother's stories of territorial life in Santa Fe which lead to his love of New Mexico history. The cultures of New Mexico and its old world art become Roch's obsession. It was the simple designs, the hand touched elements that drove Roch to begin making his own furniture. But after a while, he grew bored of making the same things that everyone else was making.
Roch visited the Fechin Museum in Taos, New Mexico and forever his old passion of woodworking was energized. Nicholi Fechin, whom Roch considerers his mentor, had died years earlier, but his furniture and doors blew Roch away. As he was examining each piece of furniture well after his bored wife left, an older woman approached and spent almost an hour with Roch telling him how Nicholi did his work, carvings, designs, etc... After giving Roch a personal tour she advised Roch that she knew he was going to start doing something similar. But she challenged him to do his own thing, not Fechin's. As he was exiting the museum the staff at the front desk advised him that he was lucky to meet Eya Fechin, Nicholi's daughter who did not come out much anymore. They then presented Roch with a signed book that Eya left him. Roch was blown away that he had just met Nicholi's daughter. That time spent in the museum is etched into his mind forever. Roch's journey began.
Taking all the elements he loves from, native pottery, petroglyphs, Spanish woodworking and of course his own German ancestry he combined them all into his work. Roch makes each piece of furniture different, with different themes, designs, and meanings. Roch did not want his passion to be a furniture business, but art, which is what it should be.
Roch is married to his toughest yet most supportive critic whom he credits for his artistic growth. He is a proud father of two young men, a retired police officer from the Albuquerque Police Department and currently manages a 22,000-acre ranch which has wild horses, cows, and buffalo. Not to mention hundreds of petroglyphs which he protects as treasures.
WHAT I LIKE TO DO
BENCHES
Benches were such a small addition to any room in early New Mexico, but with limited furniture, it was often carved to add a bit of elegance to a rustic world. Roch attempts to bring that old world into the new world.
DOORS
Doors offer such an amazing canvas. While doors are usually just a matter of function they offer such an opportunity for art. Roch has carved each and every door in his own home, not mention several customers. The construction is old world but refined to grace the finest of homes.
CROSSES, WALL RUG HOLDERS, ETC...
Sometimes its the smaller things in life that add spice. Roch enjoys carving small pieces like crucifixes from his Christian upbringing, Star of David from the history of Crypto-Jews in New Mexico or complimenting a Navajo Rug for a wall.
PIE SAFE
Roch often gets requests to incorporate designs or carvings from customers cultures which he enjoys doing.
