Irvin Trujillo has won countless major awards for his weaving including The Spanish Market Master’s Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2005, and a National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellowship in 2007. His work is collected throughout the world by individuals and museums, including The Smithsonian. But he didn’t even mention any of this to me. More important to him is creating new pieces, not so much to advance and stretch the tradition, but to increase his own “vocabulary of design.” It is the foundation of what his dad taught him: To make an individual piece every time you get on a loom, a tradition Irvin upholds.
Irvin is a seventh generation weaver. He learned from his father when he was 10 and had to stand on a chair to reach the loom. His dad had begun weaving at home in a newly spare bedroom (his sister having just left for college), and Irvin could hear the rhythmic noise coming from behind the closed door. “I was fascinated, really,” he says. He listened for a couple of weeks before going in to watch. He watched for another couple of weeks before his father finally asked him if he wanted to learn. He did. It wasn’t until Irvin entered college himself that he started hearing his father was a master.
Another thing seemingly lost to the old days is the acceptance of imperfection. Irvin says, “My perception of what people want today is perfection. The old pieces happened because it was what they had to do to use. They were utilitarian. The tourist industry changed that… My dad taught me that if I wanted to make an interesting design, to make some elements different—break the pattern a little—make one stripe a smaller size. Then the eye has to look at it differently for the brain to recognize what it’s seeing. The old designs weren’t perfect and that’s what makes them art.”
Centinela Traditional Arts, the weaving business Irvin started with his wife and father more than three decades ago, has 10 full time weavers now, many of them from the same families. In this way Irvin feels they help to keep the tradition alive, not just for their own family but for other families as well.
Following his heritage and his heart has not always been easy. He is a licensed engineer and could easily go earn a more consistent living. He says, “Having the shop is a blast, but it’s been hard. We’ve been broke many times. I’ve tried to learn how to just live in the day—I’ll have fun in the day. I live my bliss as much of the time as I can.”
I believe Irvin is saying what is true for so many of us who have chosen this artist’s path: No matter the challenges, we continue to stand with them–we continue taking leap after leap into the unknown. We make our art because it is in us to do. And it is, in fact, a blast.
See more about Irvin, the history of weaving, and Centinela Traditional Arts at chimayoweavers.com.
Love to you all,
Jeane
Tradition is rich in NM. It’s wonderful to see it honored in this way. Thanks for both of the Centinela posts. I have learned something deeper about these wonderfully creative souls.
Yes, it is wonderful how these two, and others like them, live lives that express and honor tradition. It’s a privilege to be able to sit with them to learn more and a joy to be able to pass it on. Glad you liked the posts. Thanks!
The history and technical data is amazing to see. The designer in me appreciates so much the joyful creative process that goes into each and every piece 🙂
Jeane, if I may speak to Irvin here: Thank you so much Irvin for sharing with Jeane – so she could bring us in for a glimpse of your creative process and your rich family history.
Your gorgeous woven art seem to me a testament to your Father’s wisdom and your soulful respect of your own. The planet is blessed by your energy. And I consider myself part of the planet….so I thank you personally:)
Thanks Jeane for the beautifully composed blog you have graced us with!
XOXOX
Love and peace to you
Grace
Yes, one of a kind tapestries are not what we expect in this mass-produced culture in which we live. It takes so long for Irvin and Lisa to finish one piece, it almost boggles the mind. But their work is priceless on so many levels. It was a privilege to be with them and learn their stories in their own words. I’ve read about them but hearing their voices and their choice of words; seeing them work, was an honor.
Loved the post of this blog. Wonderful to see a beautiful tradition live on in the lives of these two. I love learning about artists and their work; was neat that you were able to incorperate videos into it so that we could get a real feel for the art and feel like we are sitting right there watching the artist ourselves! Wonderful and again the rugs are such beautiful one of kind pieces of art! Thank you Jeane and Irvin along with his wife for their time!
Thanks, Cindy. I really loved doing these pieces. This weekend I’m supposed to learn how to import videos without having to compress them so they’ll maintain more of their original quality. I’ll be trying to do more of them when it’s appropriate. Stay tuned!
Jeane — Thank you. This is wonderful!
Gina
Thank you, Gina. It was a real privilege to spend time with both Irvin and Lisa. I was honored to get to tell a bit of their stories. So glad you liked it.
I saw these designs and they took my breath away — Irvin is a true master of this art. Thank you for this post!!!
You might want to check out the post I wrote about Lisa as well. They are both remarkable artists! So glad you enjoyed the piece. You’ll find Lisa’s interview on the blog. Search for Centinela Traditional Arts Part 1.