Carved deep into the sandstone cliffs of New Mexico, you will find the kind of incredible artwork usually reserved for a castle or cathedral.
It is the work of one man, Ra Paulette…and his loyal dog, Bugsy.
Paulette, now 68, has been carving for the last three decades. His first attempt, the Heart Chamber, became a popular attraction for hikers. Crafted on government land, Paulette eventually refilled the cave when he started to fear its structural integrity would result in an accident due to the climbing amount of visitors.
Eventually, Paulette began taking commissions from local property owners. Each project took years to complete, but many stalled in the process due to creative differences.
So it was that Paulette cast off his clients and turned his attention to his grand masterpiece: Magnum Opus.
It was a place he could indulge all the ideas that had been rejected by those who had hired him over the years; an eclectic mix of styles and influences that Paulette seems to be able to see in the rock even before he begins his work.
Due to various setbacks, it took 13 years to complete. Each day, Paulette would strap his wheelbarrow and tools to his body and navigate the rock slopes leading up to Magnum Opus.
When filmmaker Jeffrey Karoff heard of Paulette’s endeavours, he approached the artist about a documentary. Recalling his first experience in the cliffside, Karoff said in an interview with GALO magazine “…it took my breath away. I can’t think of a lot of art that has quite that impact. It was closer to the impact of something grand in nature.”
The resulting film went on to be nominated for Best Short Documentary at the 2014 Academy Awards. Shot over three years, it focuses not only on Paulette’s monumental task, but how he balances his artistic obsession with a need to earn money.
But what does Paulette think about his work? Was Magnum Opus the success its title anticipated it to be?
We don’t know. Paulette initially enjoyed the attention the documentary brought, but soon avoided contact with the media in order to commence working on a new cave, the 15th in his career.
Visit the official Cavedigger website to purchase the documentary on VOD or disc.
