One of the real joys of being in this business is meeting new artists, or at least artists you aren’t familiar with. That happened one day this last fall when Bilson Kee came into the gallery and worked with Linda Perala, one of our top associates.

The Taos Society of Artists was founded in 1915 in a small community in New Mexico. The area was a magnet for artists worldwide for its landscapes and proximity to the area's Pueblo and Hispanic cultures.

One of my favorite times to be in the gallery in Durango is when a weaver comes in with a rug wrapped in a Blue Bird Flour sack. Older weavers seldom open up the package.  After we greet each other, they hand it to me, and I get the pleasure of unrolling it. It is just like opening an unexpected birthday present!

My Father loved Navajo pictorial rugs. Of course, he loved almost any Navajo rug, but the pictorials held a special place in his heart.

Wilson and Carol Begay were raised at Manulito, not far from Gallup. Carol went to school at the Navajo Bible Mission by the Catholic Church there. One of her earliest memories of Wilson was when he and a group of boys would come to the school to play basketball. Carol's mother always told her not to hang around with those boys and to come home if they were down at the school.

Coral was introduced to the Southwest by the Spanish who brought beads made from the material to the area as trade items. The Pueblo Indians began using the coral beads and, later, branch coral pieces to complement their turquoise heishi necklaces.

The wonderful thing about having so many informed readers of our blog is that I usually learn something every time I send one out. Last week’s post on the Trading Post Name Rugs was no exception.

Over the years, 259 documented trading posts were on or adjacent to the Navajo Reservation. I bet nearly all these posts had at least one Name Rug!

Over the years, we have seen Navajo weaving evolve from wearing blankets to the transitional and Germantown weavings, the early floor rugs, and the regional styles. I’ve been thinking about where we are today and would like to share some thoughts.

There are people in this world who know from an early age what they want to do with their lives. For most of them, it never happens. Real life, families, children, rent, and a million other things cause dreamers to take a different fork in the road. Once you take that different path, it is hard to break away and return to your original goal. 

Link to the Four Corners Forum Podcast

Hundreds of years ago, when the Ancestral Puebloans (Anasazi) were the primary occupants of the Southwest, the climate was pretty much as it is today. Cool nights and warm days during the late spring through early fall made travel for hunting or moving between the fields and their homes a challenge.The Puebloans were known for growing crops like beans and corn, and long days in the fields required water.

My mother always gave male shoppers good advice when they didn't know what to buy for the women in their lives.

"Every woman needs at least one strand of silver beads!"

Her reasons were pretty simple.