In Santa Fe, you'll find plenty of Madonnas, but they won't be black and they certainly won't be decorated with animal feces. A whole lot of shops are devoted here strictly to religious objects, icons, santos and statues and portraits of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Most of these are old and imported from Mexico or Central and South America, and most of them are so pricey that even the Vatican would blush. In the secular realm, cats have replaced horses as the animals of choice in works of art on canvas and in sculpture. Pigs were as big as horses a decade ago, but they have been replaced by things fashioned in the feline form.
Cats come in everything from colorful, stippled clay creations to smiling images on canvas edges.
If so, the urge is not consistent. On canvas, the trend seems to be McDonaldesque. This confusion continues when it comes to high-torque menu items, where less is definitely more. You can get an adequate meal, providing you're not Golden Corral hungry, at any one of the tony cafes that are famous for new Southwest dining, and they will be prepared as though they are to be exhibited as fine art, with colorful flourishes. I had grilled salmon one evening that was served in the center of a huge platter that had been painted with green, white and red chile sauces.