SANTA FE (AP).- For centuries, New Mexico has been home to a distinctive tradition of painting Catholic saints in simple portraits, rather than adhering to the elaborate styles of European art. Some critics have said the paintings resulted from untrained Spanish artists doing the best they could. But the curator of the Museum of Spanish Colonial Art never accepted that argument. Instead, Robin Farwell Gavin believes artists chose to adopt artistic traditions of Native Americans instead of the baroque styles brought to early New Mexico from the outside world. That illustrates the message of cultural exchange behind “Converging Streams: Art of the Hispanic and Native American Southwest,” an exhibit that runs through September at the museum. Part of the show will come down at the end of August. “If we really start to open our eyes to what’s happening with these art forms, it’s bringing us a whole different aspect of the story of the history here in New Mexico,” said Gavin, who cura