Juanita Bower
I am Juanita Bower, the owner, and creator of Spirit of the Desert. I have been creating my artwork, for over 43 years. My collection includes storyteller rompers of every kind. It has sold internationally and in almost every state in the union. My inspiration comes from my childhood. I started as a young girl and after many requests for my work from my friends, I decided to start selling to other people, feeling they might enjoy it as much as my friends did. I established Spirit of the Desert in 1987.
When I was a young girl, I visited an Indian reservation in western New Mexico. While walking around, enjoying myself, when I saw a whole bunch of Indian children trying to get on a horse. The horse was just covered with children. They were laughing and yelling and carrying on. All of them were having a good time and the horse didn’t seem to mind. Children love animals and are rambunctious and have such high energy that many times they have to be told to stop bothering an animal. But they love them so much they can’t help themselves. This is where my inspiration for my Rompers came from, the love of children for animals.
My ceramic Rompers are made from molds. They are then fired in a kiln at over 3000° Fahrenheit and. then hand painted. I have created many of the items myself and had a mold made of it. My use of the southwestern colors, from the sunsets and landscapes of New Mexico, are my own. Even my nativities and churches are influenced by the colors of the Southwest. I truly hope you enjoy them in your home as much as I enjoyed making them.
Juanita lives in Albuquerque New Mexico with her husband and two sons. She works on her artwork at home so she is able to take care of her disabled son. Her son, Shane, is a quadriplegic on a ventilator and requires 24-hour care.
The first year she started Spirit of the Desert, Juanita was creating large ceramic animals as wind chime bells. One of the shops in Albuquerque asked her to pour these bells much thinner and they used them as ornaments on a 25 foot tall Christmas tree in a hotel in downtown Albuquerque. These worked out so well that the shop owner bought some more of Juanita’s large Christmas ornaments and donated them to be used as ornaments on the national Christmas tree, which came from New Mexico, in Washington DC in 1987.
Enjoy your stroll through the pages of my artwork. If you have any suggestions for other pieces that might interest you please make your suggestion in the comments block below.