Barbara Teller Ornelas on Design and Symmetry
How do you design the patterns in your rugs?
"It’s like sitting inside a puzzle. The rug is symmetrical both horizontally and vertically. A rug is like a kaleidoscope, you only need to design one quarter of the rug, and then duplicate that pattern. As you go up the pattern on the right quarter is the same as the one on the left. When you get to the middle you repeat the pattern mirroring your first half."
So you don’t draw out your pattern?
"I only draw out the pattern for my larger pieces because the quarter that you’re working with is bigger and more intricate."
Is it difficult to create a pattern?
"Some patterns come easy and some don’t. There is a lot of improvising, trying new things and seeing if they work. I never repeat a pattern; each rug is different from the other."
Barbara creates rugs in the Two Gray Hills style but the horizontal and vertical symmetry can be seen in many Navajo weavings.