20th C. > Teller-Ornelas Family > Previous Rug | This is the last rug > Next Section

Two Grey Hills tapestry
Date:	1995
Artist:	Barbara Teller Ornelas, born 1954
Clan:	Tábaahá, born for Tó ‘aheedlíinii (Water’s Edge, Water-Flows-Together People)
Size:	74" x 48"
Count:	112 wefts/inch

“Barbara Ornelas, co-organizer of this exhibition, is an award-winning weaver. She is known for extremely fine spinning, well-blended colors, and intricate geometric patterns.” —Ann Hedlund

“Of all the rugs I’ve done alone, this is my most prized. A collector ordered it, I started it, and he died half way through. He hadn’t finished paying me for the rug, and everything was held up in his estate. The lawyers kept saying, ‘You need to finish this rug and we need to figure out what to do with it.’ Then one day, a lawyer called and said, ‘Go ahead, keep the money, and keep the rug. Sell it to whomever you want.’ So, I started working on it again, and it became the centerpiece for my one-woman show in Santa Fe. I was so happy when it was done, because everything was just exactly how I wanted it to go.

“I always do light and dark contrasts. I put those white corner elements to bring out the design. Somebody said that they look like eagles, but I had never noticed that. Someone also asked if I was watching basketball, because the border pattern looks like the Chicago Bulls logo. I’m a sports nut, and so I probably was without thinking about it!” —Barbara Ornelas (laughing)