Meet . . .
David M. Gallegos
Rio Colorado Weaving
511 San Andres NW
Albuquerque, NM 87107
505-344-6954
Weaving
and the fiber arts are an integral part of my life. I was surrounded with pieces woven by my
mother, Eva Rael Gallegos, and grandmother, Stella Quintana Rael. There were rag rugs on the floors and
beautiful, colorful fresadas on the beds; and many woven pieces on tables and
dressers, as well as saddle blankets in the stables. It is quite natural that I would be drawn to
weaving.
In the summmer of 2002, my mother and I spent three weeks in the Community
Center in Cerro where she taught me how to warp one of the old WPA looms and
how to weave simple stripes. The
following year, I built a loom at Northern New Mexico College. My mother continues to teach and encourage
me.
The
focus of my first rugs was learning how the loom works and discovering the joy
of using patterns and color, especially traditional Rio Grande designs and
interpretations of work done by my mother and grandmother. I naturally gravitate to bright and bold
colors that stand out. All the rugs are
carefully planned, drawn and colored on paper before I get on the loom.
My
work in 2011 reflects the images and designs I saw on my journey to Italy. One piece is my interpretation of the landing
on the Scala d’ Oro in the Doge’s Palace in Venice, another design was inspired
by a fresco in the Palazzio Vecchio in Florence, and the mosaic floors of the
Vatican Museums inspired another.
I
have shown my work at the Fiber Arts Fiesta in Albuquerque, the Questa Vencidad
Studio Tour, Artesanos de Questa Artist of the Month, The Regalos Holiday Gift
Show at the National Hispanic Cultural Center, Studio Mares in St. Petersburg,
Florida, and the Contemporary Hispanic Market in Santa Fe. For the first time in a number of years, I am
not planning to participate in any shows or markets in 2012, choosing instead
to concentrate on weaving and discovering new techniques.
Here is some of his work
To learn more about David and the other members of the New Mexico Fiber Artisans, visit our web site at www.nmfiberartisans.org - and Join Us!
