October
29th
2011
Hover your mouse over the picture see the details close up.
Chinle, AZ Sometimes when I talk to my serious collector friends, we’ll lament that some of the best weavers are not innovators in design, that they don’t “push the envelope” or “think outside the box” or any of a number of cliched terms that say that we want to see something fresh and new but we don’t know what. It’s quite human on our part, but it’s asking a great deal of the weavers whose work we so admire, but whose living circumstances we may not always comprehend. What we are asking when we encourage a weaver to get out on the cutting edge and hang all ten toes over it is to quite literally bet the groceries on something new and untried. Most of my weaver friends derive a major part or all of their income from their weaving and market forces are a major influence for them. That income combines with various jobs to pay the light bill, buy the groceries and put children through school and if a weaver puts time in on a design that ultimately does not find a buyer, the lights, quite literally, can go out.
Some weavers develop enough stature and financial stability to take a chance but sometimes a weaver sees a design idea and is brave enough to try. That’s what happened with the weaving above that I picked yesterday from Lula Brown. The design idea is not original, but Lula’s translation of it into a finely woven 90 wefts per inch tapestry sure is and it is the second piece of this type that Lula’s done. It’s based on a 1981 painting by the late Helen Hardin called Original Robes. That painting inspired a rug by Pauline Yellowhair that I saw at Richardson Trading last year and included in this year’s calendar along with a picture of Lula, her husband Herman and their daughter Janelle. I gave Lula a copy of the calendar and she couldn’t resist giving the challenging design a try. She didn’t tell me, she didn’t ask, she just put it in my hand and said “Here’s something different”. It was so different that it took a second for the design to sink in but once I realized what she’d done, I went to Hastiin Beeso (the ATM, Mr. Money in Navajo) and made sure that Lula knew that she’d made a good bet as far as I was concerned. Then she said that she wanted to do a larger one and I said “I’ll take it” and one of my friends said, “I’ll take the one after that”.
That second one is the weaving that you see above and that Lula is holding in the picture below. It measures 7.5″ by 9″. If you would like to add it your collection, it’s in the Mercantile for $750 (Lula got 70% of that). I dropped Lula and Herman off at the grocery store on my way out of town.
Lula Brown holds her Anasazi Ye'i
Hagoshíí (so long for now)
Mary Walker
October
28th
2011
Cheryl Holbert (left) with Eunice Yazzie (center) and Sarah Natani at the wedding of Linda Larouche and Mark Winter
Tempe, AZ This year was the first time that Jennie Slick and I have done five(!) classes in Window Rock. The first of our new sessions was in June, soon after the Estes Park Wool Market, where we’d done a two day workshop in intermediate to advanced weaving techniques. The southwestern summer was in full swing as the class started and we had dry weather for our field trips. The timing of this class meant that we couldn’t take in a rug auction, but we made up for it by attending the wedding of Toadlena Trading Post’s Mark Winter and Linda Larouche. There were hundreds of people gathered at Toadlena for the ceremony, which blended Navajo and Anglo tradition and brought Mark and Linda’s friends and family from near and far.
As always, our students brought a wonderful mix of experience to the class. Returning student Mike Barnette is a veteran of many classes in Navajo techniques and Cheryl Holbert, Michelle Grant and Francine Kavanaugh had some experience, but were new to Window Rock. Barbara Bettigole is an accomplished tapestry weaver and Sarah Saulson teaches computer aided weaving techniques at Syracuse University. Peggy Geyer is a multiple harness weaver and Jan Cohen was totally new to the world of weaving. It is really fun to work with students at different skill levels and tailor the class content to their questions and it often leads both Jennie and I to look our own work in different ways.
It’s also great to introduce the students to our friends from the area. Lula and Herman Brown, who weave miniature rugs stopped by and Herman was particularly taken with the design that Michelle was working on. He consulted with her on the design, but as she worked on it, she found that she needed to make some modifications and Herman wasn’t available to give his input on the changes. Michelle was a little apprehensive when Herman and Lula stopped by on the last day of class. Herman examined the nearly finished piece carefully and smiled his approval of the design. You can see the pictures below.
The early summer plants gave us great dyes, we basked in the sun at Canyon de Chelly and we wove early in the morning and far into the evening. It was a great week to weave and the students made the most of it. Just like all of our classes, it was the best class ever! Click here to see more pictures.
 Does Herman Brown approve of Michelle Grant's design changes? |
 Yes! Herman likes the design! |
Hagoshíí (so long for now)
Mary Walker
October
25th
2011
The 2012 Weaving in Beauty Calendar is available for purchase in the Mercantile! The calendar pictures were all taken within the last eighteen months and represent a snapshot of the year in our corner of the weaving world. Master weaver Emily Malone is on the cover this year and she’s shown holding the start of one of her signature Spider Rock style weavings. And yes, that’s quite the bracelet that she’s wearing! Be sure to click on the picture to see a larger image.
Each month features a weaving, scene or weaver that I hope will bring a bright spot to your home, studio or office. I’m grateful to Bruce Burnham, Kary Dunham, Laurie West, the Brown family (Lula, Herman and Janelle), Anna Ashley, Pamela Brown, Mark Winter, Linda Larouche, Rena Robertson, Geneva Shabi, Richardson Trading, Niccole Cerveny, Vicky Blair and Virginia Burnham for allowing me to use my photographs of them for the calendar. The calendar is 8.5″ x 11″, coil bound and locally printed by Alphagraphics. You can see a preview of the pages below and use the purchase link to order your own copy. They’re $15 each and can be sent via media mail, USPS or UPS.
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 Please click on the picture for a larger view |
October
24th
2011
Our class picture with Jennie Slick's mother, Anna Ashley. From left, Carole Rose, Kathie Snyder, Betsy Fisch, Connie Delgado, Ilene Blum, Liz Higgins and Jennie Slick.
Tempe, AZ Five months ago, Jennie Slick and I started our classes in Window Rock for this year. Sitting here in Tempe now, in some ways it seems like five years ago, and in other ways it was more like five minutes. We had a wonderful class in May. One of the special treats was being able to visit with instructor Jennie Slick’s mother, Anna Ashley. At 93, Anna no longer weaves and she is confined to a wheelchair much of the time, but she still spins a lot of the edging cords that we use in class and she is very pleased to think of all of the students who have taken the time to make the journey to her home to learn more about the Navajo way of weaving. The shawl that Anna is weaving in the picture is a gift from student Mike Barnette and was woven by his wife, Peggy. Presenting the shawl to Anna was one of the highlights of our class, but there were many crowded into that week.
We had two great visits with Barbara Jean Teller Ornelas (who is doing a class in Tucson November 13-15 with her sister, Lynda Teller Pete), meeting up with her at the Two Grey Hills Trading Post and at Toadlena Trading Post. At Toadlena, we also talked with caricaturist and weaver Pamela Brown, who had done a wonderful rug to commemorate the engagement of trader Mark Winter and Linda Larouche. We gathered the first plants of the year and used some that we’d saved over the winter to dye some wonderful colors that will join with others to make up the weaving that we are doing now and those to come. We saw foals with their mothers running in Canyon de Chelly and we listened as Bruce Burnham and Bill Malone told us stories about trading, justice and standing by your friends when they are in trouble.
You can see more pictures from the class here. It was the best class ever, just like all of the others. Yes, it’s more like five minutes ago.
Hagoshíí (so long for now)
Mary Walker
Note: Registration for our 2012 Window Rock class schedule is open. You can read more about the class and register for it here. Registration for the 2012 Spider Rock Girls Boarding School class will open on November 1.
October
5th
2011
Spider Rock Girls Boarding School students work at their looms at Spider Rock
Chinle, AZ We have just returned from a wonderful and unforgettable day of weaving at Spider Rock. Emily Malone and her daughter Larissa Blake graciously opened their home at the base of Spider Rock to our students and even taught us how to make frybread and Navajo tortillas. It turns out that making a good looking piece of frybread is not as easy as one might think, but perhaps we were distracted by the view. Emily and her family use their property in Canyon de Chelly during the summer and live on the canyon rim in the winter and are the teachers of the this class.
According to Navajo history, Spider Rock is the home of Spider Woman, who taught the Navajo people to weave on a magical loom constructed by Spider Man. We are very grateful that Emily and Larissa believe that the gift of Spider Woman may be shared among all five fingered beings and we will always treasure our journey to the place where Navajo weaving began.
Hagoshíí (so long for now)
Mary Walker
October
2nd
2011
Emily Malone shows off one her Spider Rock Pictorials, a new twist of the Spider Rock design.
Chinle, AZ This is day one of our new class, the Spider Rock Girls Boarding School and I wanted to post a couple of pictures before I turn in for the night. We’ve gotten the looms warped and Emily Malone and her daughter Larissa Blake are getting the students busy with weaving patterns. Tomorrow, we are off to Burnham’s Trading Post for a little yarn therapy. You can see two of the students hard art work in the picture below.
Hagoshíí (so long for now)
Mary Walker
Two of our students get started with their school worK.
