Ra Paulette's caves
For the past 25 years Ra Paulette has been scraping and shaping New Mexico's sandstone into elegant, man-made caves.
Cave Art
"Changing the world is a tall order," wrote Ra Paulette on his website. "Art doesn't attempt to force change through direct action but to catalyze it by affecting the emotional basis from which change can occur."
For the last quarter-century - with only his dog for company - Paulette has been affecting emotions through his beautiful spaces carved out of New Mexico's high desert.
Cave Digger
"Do you think you're obsessed with cave digging?" asked CBS News' Lee Cowan.
"Would you call a child being obsessed with play?" replied Paulette. "You wouldn't use that word 'obsessed.' You know, when you're doing something you love and are drawn to it, you want to do it all the time."
Cave Digger
Paulette uses only hand tools.
Cave Art
Paulette calls them his "wilderness shrines" - massive in scale, poetic in their design.
Cave Art
He has no degree in sculpting. He's not a structural engineer, and he's not an architect. He is simply a man who found his passion.
Cave Art
A sculpted cave by Ra Paulette.
Cave Art
A sculpted cave by Ra Paulette.
Cave Home
Paulette has dug about a dozen caves so far, most commissioned by those who want a piece of livable art.
Cave Home
A sculpted cave by Ra Paulette.
Cave Home
A sculpted cave by Ra Paulette.
Cave Home
A sculpted cave by Ra Paulette.
Cave Home
A sculpted cave by Ra Paulette.
Cave Art
A sculpted cave by Ra Paulette.
Cave Art
Paulette showed Cowan his latest project. He calls it his magnum opus.
"This is the largest thing I've ever done," he said. "I'm taking all the things that I've learned in all the other caves over the years and finally getting an opportunity to experiment with gilding the lily."
Cave Art
His plan is not only to carve, but paint these sandstone walls, creating what he hopes will be a healing retreat -- a community gathering place, complete with a waterfall and pool.
View From Within
He doesn't get rich off of creating such wonderful living spaces. "No, it's the process, you know?" Paulette said. "I'm having the time of my life."
For more info:
Ra Paulette, Cave Digger (Official site)
"Cavedigger" (Documentary by Jeffrey Karoff); Available on demand from Amazon, iTunes and Vimeo
Los Nidos property listing at Santa Fe Properties
By CBSNews.com senior producer David Morgan