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 “Teec Nos Pos Weaving“.  The subject is a Navajo weaving.  The detail in all the tiny stitches of the rug are extraordinary!

Mary says of this painting:

Dating back to the early 1900s, this weaving has a distinct style that comes from the settlement known today as Teec Nos Pos. This Navajo community is nestled in Northeast Arizona, just miles from the Four Corners Monument. The name Teec Nos Pos is an English rendition of the Navajo phrase Tiis Nazbas, which translates to “Circle of Cottonwood Trees”. The weaving designs of these people were influenced in part by interactions with trader John B. Moore from Crystal, New Mexico. Moore introduced the Teec Nos Pos weavers to Persian rug imagery, influencing their weaving style.

These rugs have the most intricate designs within the Navajo weaving traditions featuring vibrant colors, eccentric designs, sharp contrasting outlines, and multiple bold borders. This particular rug has seen much use. The distressing, such as the unraveling and holes, are signs of use and age that add so much interest to me as the artist and to the painting. Truly a wonderful historical piece to capture in oil paint.

Brand

Calengor, Mary

Mary Calengor

My journey as an artist has been winding with peaks and valleys. That has been life's way of shaping me and my art, bringing me to where I am today. Born in Duluth, Minnesota, I grew up in a house filled with art. My father is a painter, and I developed a passion for this creative outlet under his tutelage. At a young age, I worked by his side in our studio, sketching and exploring various mediums. I graduated from the University of Minnesota with degrees in graphic design and fine art, married shortly after that, and had the gift of raising four children. A career in marketing soon followed as my family moved on to their pursuits. During these years, my painting went on hold, and after twenty years, I began to question who I was as an artist. In 2017, with my husband's loving support, I decided to paint again as a full-time artist. I had no idea what my style or focus was going to be. I painted landscapes, still life, loose interpretations, and detailed work, and I felt lost. Then I went to Santa Fe to visit friends, and something happened that I cannot explain. The night we arrived, I woke to see in my mind who I was to be as an artist with such clarity. I knew exactly what subject matter was inside me and how to paint it. My identity as a painter was found.

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