December 2009
The Angel Lady Spreads Her Wings
by Phaedra Greenwood
Taoseños call Rose Tollardo Valdez “The Angel Lady” because she makes hundreds of tin angels and gives them away. For over 40 years she has made ornaments, jewelry and angels from tin cans, copper, silver, and brass. Bubbling with energy and imagination, she attracts admirers. Many stories have been written about her in various periodicals including Reader’s Digest.
Valdez grew up in Taos in a farming family with eleven other siblings. She says, “Dad urged us to finish school. He always said, ‘It’s very important for my children to take care of themselves and make a living.’” She and several of her siblings have distinguished themselves in the community.
In 1968, she and her sister, Josie Martinez, decided that making ornaments from tin would be a good way to do something with cans. “When we first started we used to cut our hands to pieces,” Valdez recalls. “I’d say, ‘I’m not going to do this anymore.’ But I had too many pretty cans.”
One day she looked at the piece she was cutting and saw the shape of an angel. She began making angels in bright colors and patterns, first with tin and later with copper, brass and silver; some decorated with bits of turquoise. “I took them to the plaza one day and sold them all in one stop,” she says.
For three years she kept a shop on Taos Plaza called Tin Creations by Rose. Her popularity grew. Customers went home and sent her colorful tins from all over the world. A Texas family commissioned Valdez to make hundreds of angels as token gifts for a wedding. She has won The Taos News award for the most beautifully decorated Christmas home, and a few years ago she had the honor of making the first ornament for the Christmas tree that New Mexico sent to Washington, D.C.
Valdez normally wears a silver and turquoise crucifix her husband made for her. She says he told her, “‘Rose, you’re always making angels. I have to learn how to make something, too.’”
“Angels are the number one thing that people collect,” she continues. “If you believe in God, angels are here to protect us.”
And, she may need some protection. She says her doctor worries about the danger of cutting herself because she takes blood thinners and works with bare hands. “But I haven’t cut myself in over a year,” she says.
With a big smile, she says, “I’ve really enjoyed my creative life. I did work very hard over the years. I give God the glory for giving me this talent.”
Children gather around her table of ornaments on the day of this interview. She gives each of them a small tin angel and smiles at me. “It’s good for my business. The more you give, the more you get. Every day I ask the Lord to give me one more day.”
If you know anyone who'd make a good profile for this column—including yourself—let us know at sespinoza@enchantment.coop.
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