Woven Wall Art by Romeo Reyna

Oh hey there.

I think I stumbled onto something the other night. I was on one of those Pinterest binges where you click on one thing, then another, and another, and before long you are looking at things totally unrelated to what you were first looking at. It is the biggest time waste I can think of. I usually say that about video games, but at least playing video games makes you good at something. Pinterest is stupid. Yeah, I said it.

Anyway, I stumbled onto some woven wall hangings with that chunky, 70's look that I love, and the name Romeo Reyna popped up. The only notable name I've come across associated with vintage fiber art is Don Freedman. Now I had this new name to search with, and here's what I found.

Some great images and not much else.



I found a blurb about him in a 1978 issue of Texas Monthly that says,

Hang the expense and hang one of Romeo Reyna's gorgeous tapestries. For $1000 minimum, he'll do a custom order for you, using the traditional American Indian upright loom technique. Hallmarks of his style are bright, undulating patterns and course, nubby textures. When not in his studio in Lubbock, Reyna can be found at his restaurant, the Azteca Nuevo. Samples of his work are also on display at Olla Padrida in Dallas.

{101 in 1001} I Read 20 Books!

Actually, I read a couple more than this. I'm hooked on reading now. My favorites were the two by David Sedaris, The Absolutely True Story of a Part-Time Indian, Beautiful Ruins, and Where'd You Go, Bernadette.

I've never been much of a reader in the past, but now I love it. That's the kind of thing I was hoping I would get to say when I created my 101 in 1001 list.

#15, Check!*

I did something I'm kind of proud of.

I got a tattoo!**

See?

Yep, flowers. I'm so unoriginal. I just really like them. Some people seem to have a lot favorite things, but I don't really have too many of those things. So I went with flowers.

Also, you might notice that it is rather large. I REALLY like that. I knew if I wanted a tattoo, I wanted a tattoo, not some tiny little thing that could be mistaken for a mole.

Seriously, I feel so awesome all the time. The flowers turned out gorgeous, and even though I didn't pay very much attention to the placement while it was happening (first-timer), I got incredibly lucky, because it's perfect. All my short sleeve shirts cover it, so I can wear all my same clothes to work. Obviously, it shows with sleeveless tops, but I don't usually wear those to work anyway, because I'm so forgetful about shaving my armpits. And I teach fifth grade. So no.

The flowers sit right on my shoulder, and the color is incredible. When it first healed, I was a little disappointed that the colors seem to fade slightly. Then I started being more aware of people around me with tattoos. Now I've noticed that the colors in mine are pretty amazing.  I went to Sarah Blinkhorn at Hearts of Fire Tattoo in Springfield, MO, if you're interested.

This was such an exciting thing to do. I felt brave. And of course, I'm so predictable. I want more!

* This item was #15 on my 101 in 1001 list. Please take a look at my list, and let me know if my list inspires you to start your own!

** Please remember, this tattoo is on my body permanently. Negative comments will only hurt my feelings. If tattoos are not your thing, then just politely ignore this post.