Cavedigger

Ra Paulette, a self-motivated artist, digs massive and ornately carved sandstone caves in Northern New Mexico as art. These works are commissioned by patrons who envision smaller scale projects, but Paulette often takes years to finish due to artistic differences over money and scope. Characterized as the sandstone equivalent of a cocaine addict, Ra Paulette excavates and decorates his caves entirely from scratch using only hand tools, creating intricate structures that are like sand castles in reverse. He is now working on his magnum opus, a massive 10-year project on unauthorized land, expecting it to consume the last decade of his life.