Mary Calengor is known for her highly detailed realism painted in oil on linen and canvas.  There is amazing detail in her art along with an intuitive sense of how she captures the light on her subjects.  This painting is entitled, “Huckleberry Baskets“.  This piece combines baskets and weaving.  Two elements that Mary excels as painting with detail and precision.  The coloration and detail on this piece is visually a bit overwhelming!

Mary says of this painting:

This painting combines three beautiful pieces of Native American history.

The baskets are from the Northwest region along the Columbia River where the people are famous for making baskets.  Huckleberries were very important in their diet and both baskets were made to gather and store the berries.  The small basket is from the Cowlitz tribe and the larger one is a Klickitat, both are from the mid-1800s.  A false embroidery technique called imbrication was used to create patterns on the baskets. Strips of beargrass would be sewn onto the surface of the basket as the coils were sewn together.

The Ganado rug dates back to 1930 and is a classic example of the patterns and colors that make these rugs so sought after.  Ganado Reds are distinctive due to their vibrant, red color and central diamond patterns.  The accent colors consist of white, black, grey, brown, and beautiful mustard gold.